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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 · rock · bowl · degree · rest · bat · bore · jam

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. rest — a break
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. degree — temperature
  8. rock — a stone
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. bore — to tire
  11. rest — what's left
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. bat — the animal
  16. degree — an amount
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. degree — from a university
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. stem — to come from
  21. bore — to drill
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. rest — what's left
  24. rock — to move gently

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