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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 120 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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. degree — temperature
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. cap — a hat
  5. root — of a word
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. root — of a plant
  8. pound — a weight
  9. degree — an amount
  10. tear — from crying
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. dip — to sink
  14. bank — for money
  15. root — the cause
  16. tear — to rip
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. bank — of a river
  19. cap — of ice
  20. degree — from a university
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. tear — from crying
  24. bank — for money

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