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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: stem · squash · degree · shower · mug · track · arm · lean

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. degree — temperature
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. degree — an amount
  6. stem — to come from
  7. squash — to crush
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. shower — to wash
  11. mug — to rob
  12. track — a song
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. mug — a cup
  16. shower — rain
  17. mug — a face
  18. track — a path
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. degree — from a university
  21. lean — to bend
  22. lean — thin
  23. squash — the sport
  24. track — to keep track

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