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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: stem · drill · land · wave · kick · object · season · degree

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. object — to protest
  3. land — ground
  4. land — a country
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. degree — temperature
  7. drill — the tool
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. degree — an amount
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. land — to come down
  15. season — of the year
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. object — a thing
  18. season — in sport
  19. drill — a practice
  20. degree — from a university
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. kick — in football
  23. stem — to come from
  24. object — an aim

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com