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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 116 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. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  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. bay — a part of the sea
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. degree — from a university
  4. root — the cause
  5. root — of a word
  6. degree — temperature
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. bear — the animal
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. prune — to trim
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. bear — the animal
  13. prune — to trim
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. root — of a plant
  17. vault — a safe
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  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