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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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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: wind · ground · degree · rest · stem · bear · face · safe

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. rest — what's left
  3. degree — an amount
  4. bear — the animal
  5. ground — a position
  6. face — to point toward
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. wind — moving air
  12. rest — a break
  13. ground — crushed
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. bear — the animal
  16. rest — what's left
  17. degree — temperature
  18. stem — to come from
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. face — to confront
  21. face — part of the head
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. wind — moving air
  24. ground — the earth

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