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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: mouse · bore · face · degree · spell · mine · rock · stem

  1. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. degree — an amount
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. bore — to tire
  5. face — to point toward
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. stem — to come from
  8. bore — to drill
  9. rock — music
  10. face — to confront
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. degree — from a university
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. rock — a stone
  17. spell — magic
  18. spell — a short time
  19. mine — for digging
  20. spell — letters
  21. degree — temperature
  22. face — part of the head
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. mouse — the animal

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