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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. root — the cause
  3. rash — a series
  4. cell — in biology
  5. degree — from a university
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. plane — a tool
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. root — of a plant
  11. bore — to tire
  12. root — of a word
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. degree — temperature
  15. can — a tin
  16. hand — in cards
  17. cell — a phone
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. bore — to drill
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. hand — help
  22. rash — hasty
  23. can — to be able to
  24. degree — an amount

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