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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. degree — an amount
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. rock — music
  5. stem — to come from
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. root — of a plant
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. root — of a word
  11. bass — the fish
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. degree — temperature
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. rock — a stone
  17. bass — low music
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. degree — from a university
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. root — the cause
  22. club — a group
  23. club — for golf
  24. club — for dancing

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