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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. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. drill — the tool
  3. mine — for digging
  4. drill — a practice
  5. degree — an amount
  6. mug — a cup
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. drill — army training
  10. degree — from a university
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. degree — temperature
  13. root — the cause
  14. mug — to rob
  15. shower — to wash
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. mug — a face
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. shower — rain
  21. kick — in football
  22. root — of a plant
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. kick — a thrill

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