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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: degree · lean · stem · cell · arm · patient · foot · pop

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. degree — temperature
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. pop — music
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. stem — to come from
  12. lean — thin
  13. lean — to bend
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. pop — to visit
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. cell — a phone
  19. pop — soda
  20. cell — in biology
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. degree — from a university
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. foot — a measure

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