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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: pop · degree · stick · stem · land · chair · bore · pass

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. land — to come down
  3. degree — from a university
  4. bore — to tire
  5. land — a country
  6. stem — to come from
  7. pop — to visit
  8. pop — soda
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. bore — to drill
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. degree — temperature
  16. pop — music
  17. land — ground
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. degree — an amount
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. chair — a leader
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. pass — a permit

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