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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 116 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: snap · object · stem · tear · degree · rock · stand · band

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. object — to protest
  3. snap — to click
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. object — an aim
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. tear — from crying
  10. tear — from crying
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. band — a music group
  13. rock — music
  14. rock — a stone
  15. stem — to come from
  16. degree — temperature
  17. tear — to rip
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. degree — from a university
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. band — a ring
  22. object — a thing
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. stand — to bear

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