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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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  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. racket — for tennis
  2. bank — for money
  3. mark — a grade
  4. root — of a word
  5. root — the cause
  6. degree — temperature
  7. degree — from a university
  8. perch — the fish
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. bank — for money
  11. bank — of a river
  12. wake — a trail
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. mark — a trace
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. clip — for paper
  17. clip — a video
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. root — of a plant
  21. clip — to cut
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. racket — a loud noise
  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