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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. degree — temperature
  3. can — to be able to
  4. wind — moving air
  5. can — a tin
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. root — the cause
  8. plane — a tool
  9. root — of a plant
  10. chip — for betting
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. can — a tin
  13. root — of a word
  14. bear — the animal
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. wind — moving air
  17. chip — to eat
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. degree — from a university
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. bear — the animal
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. mouse — the animal

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