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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. key — in music
  4. hand — help
  5. stem — to come from
  6. shower — rain
  7. degree — an amount
  8. root — of a plant
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. degree — from a university
  11. hand — in cards
  12. root — the cause
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. key — the most important part
  15. degree — temperature
  16. root — of a word
  17. shower — to wash
  18. key — for a lock

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