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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 120 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 polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. degree — an amount
  3. mate — to breed
  4. bank — for money
  5. root — of a plant
  6. craft — a skill
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. firm — steady
  10. mate — a partner
  11. bank — for money
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. mate — a friend
  14. degree — temperature
  15. firm — decided
  16. cap — a hat
  17. craft — boats
  18. bank — of a river
  19. firm — a company
  20. root — of a word
  21. degree — from a university
  22. root — the cause
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. cap — a lid

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