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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: chip · bat · jam · lean · degree · lie · stem · calf

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. lean — thin
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. chip — for betting
  13. degree — from a university
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. stem — to come from
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. degree — temperature
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. lie — to recline
  22. chip — to eat
  23. bat — the animal
  24. degree — an amount

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