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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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. degree — an amount
  3. root — of a plant
  4. craft — boats
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. board — a committee
  7. spring — of water
  8. saw — the tool
  9. saw — the tool
  10. board — to get on
  11. root — of a word
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. bass — the fish
  14. root — the cause
  15. degree — temperature
  16. bass — low music
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. spring — a coil
  21. craft — a skill
  22. spring — the season
  23. degree — from a university
  24. board — a flat piece

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