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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. degree — from a university
  4. last — to go on
  5. last — finally
  6. degree — an amount
  7. last — final
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. degree — temperature
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. root — of a plant
  12. bulb — for light
  13. can — a tin
  14. bulb — for light
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. root — of a word
  17. can — a tin
  18. can — to be able to

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