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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 120 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: degree · pitcher · patient · can · temple · stem · rule · pop

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. stem — to come from
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. pop — music
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. can — to be able to
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. rule — a law
  11. rule — government
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. degree — an amount
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. pop — to visit
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. can — a tin
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. pop — soda
  21. degree — from a university
  22. degree — temperature
  23. can — a tin
  24. temple — a place of worship

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