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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. degree — temperature
  4. mate — a partner
  5. craft — boats
  6. saw — the tool
  7. root — of a plant
  8. mate — to breed
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. key — in music
  11. root — the cause
  12. saw — the tool
  13. degree — from a university
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. craft — a skill
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. key — the most important part
  21. root — of a word
  22. key — for a lock
  23. mate — a friend
  24. branch — a division

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