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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: wind · degree · cabinet · stem · dip · straw · rock · file

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. stem — to come from
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. file — a line of people
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. file — a document
  9. dip — to sink
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. wind — moving air
  16. file — a tool
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. rock — a stone
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. rock — music
  22. degree — from a university
  23. wind — moving air
  24. degree — an amount

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