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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. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. roll — a list
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. degree — from a university
  5. root — of a plant
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. bark — to shout
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. degree — temperature
  10. sharp — clever
  11. root — of a word
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. stem — to come from
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. fork — in a road
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. degree — an amount
  23. root — the cause
  24. roll — a cake

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