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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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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: stick · stem · bay · prune · dip · mate · fine · degree

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. degree — from a university
  3. prune — to trim
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. mate — to breed
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. fine — high quality
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. fine — all right
  15. degree — an amount
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. mate — a friend
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. prune — to trim
  21. degree — temperature
  22. mate — a partner
  23. dip — to sink
  24. dip — to dunk

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