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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: object · net · degree · mate · stem · nail · pop · pitcher

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. pop — music
  3. pop — to visit
  4. degree — temperature
  5. degree — an amount
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. mate — a partner
  8. mate — a friend
  9. degree — from a university
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. stem — to come from
  13. object — an aim
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. net — for catching
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. net — after costs
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. mate — to breed
  21. pop — soda
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. object — a thing
  24. net — in sport

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