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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 · saw · plane · degree · cabinet · sharp · object · dip

  1. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. degree — an amount
  3. object — to protest
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. stem — to come from
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. degree — from a university
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. saw — the tool
  15. plane — a tool
  16. sharp — clever
  17. object — an aim
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. degree — temperature
  20. saw — the tool
  21. object — a thing
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. dip — to sink
  24. stem — a stem cell

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