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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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. game — a match
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. degree — temperature
  5. root — of a plant
  6. root — the cause
  7. bark — to shout
  8. squash — the sport
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. squash — to crush
  12. root — of a word
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. present — there
  15. degree — from a university
  16. stem — to come from
  17. game — wild animals
  18. degree — an amount
  19. present — a gift
  20. present — the time now
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. hide — to keep secret

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