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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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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. rock — a stone
  3. degree — from a university
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. stem — to come from
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. degree — an amount
  12. root — of a plant
  13. rock — music
  14. degree — temperature
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. root — of a word
  18. root — the cause

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