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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. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. degree — an amount
  4. root — the cause
  5. season — of the year
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. degree — from a university
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. bark — to shout
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. club — for golf
  16. season — in sport
  17. root — of a word
  18. degree — temperature
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. stem — to come from
  22. club — a group
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. club — for dancing

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