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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. root — the cause
  4. bank — of a river
  5. spell — magic
  6. degree — temperature
  7. staff — employees
  8. degree — an amount
  9. field — farmland
  10. mark — a trace
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. bank — for money
  13. spell — letters
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. root — of a word
  16. staff — a stick
  17. staff — employees
  18. spell — a short time
  19. root — of a plant
  20. field — a subject
  21. field — for sport
  22. mark — a grade
  23. bank — for money
  24. coach — a trainer

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