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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. rule — government
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. degree — temperature
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. court — of law
  7. court — of a king
  8. craft — a skill
  9. root — the cause
  10. court — for sport
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. craft — boats
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. plane — a tool
  16. bank — for money
  17. degree — from a university
  18. root — of a word
  19. rule — a law
  20. bank — of a river
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. bank — for money
  23. root — of a plant
  24. stem — to come from

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