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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 120 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: staff · fine · present · pitcher · stem · wind · deal · degree

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. deal — to handle
  4. degree — temperature
  5. fine — all right
  6. present — the time now
  7. degree — an amount
  8. present — a gift
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. wind — moving air
  11. staff — employees
  12. wind — moving air
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. degree — from a university
  15. staff — employees
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. staff — a stick
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. stem — to come from
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. fine — high quality
  24. wind — to turn a key

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