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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 124 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.

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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: spring · fall · stick · net · bound · degree · coach · stem

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. net — after costs
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. spring — a coil
  7. degree — temperature
  8. bound — obliged
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. net — for catching
  11. net — in sport
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. bound — tied together
  15. spring — the season
  16. fall — the season
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. bound — certain
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. spring — of water
  21. fall — to drop
  22. degree — from a university
  23. degree — an amount
  24. fall — to drop

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