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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 is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. date — the fruit
  5. degree — temperature
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. capital — a city
  8. degree — an amount
  9. root — of a word
  10. stem — to come from
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. capital — money
  14. rush — hurry
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. root — of a plant
  17. root — the cause
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. degree — from a university
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. lean — to bend

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