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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. mate — to breed
  3. degree — temperature
  4. field — farmland
  5. root — the cause
  6. root — of a plant
  7. craft — a skill
  8. degree — from a university
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. spring — a coil
  11. root — of a word
  12. field — for sport
  13. land — a country
  14. field — a subject
  15. mate — a partner
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. land — to come down
  18. land — ground
  19. mate — a friend
  20. craft — boats
  21. spring — of water
  22. lean — to bend
  23. lean — thin
  24. spring — the season

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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