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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. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. degree — temperature
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. chip — to eat
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. land — to come down
  8. land — a country
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. degree — from a university
  12. branch — a division
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. root — of a plant
  15. degree — an amount
  16. root — the cause
  17. chip — for betting
  18. land — ground

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