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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. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. spring — a coil
  3. spring — the season
  4. degree — temperature
  5. degree — from a university
  6. board — a committee
  7. degree — an amount
  8. bank — for money
  9. drill — army training
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. fork — in a road
  12. bank — of a river
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. spring — of water
  15. bank — for money
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. drill — the tool
  20. drill — a practice
  21. root — the cause
  22. root — of a word
  23. dip — to sink
  24. board — to get on

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