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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. root — of a word
  3. spring — a coil
  4. root — of a plant
  5. chip — to eat
  6. spring — of water
  7. root — the cause
  8. field — for sport
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. chip — for betting
  11. degree — from a university
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. bass — the fish
  14. perch — the fish
  15. field — farmland
  16. bass — low music
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. spring — the season
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. degree — an amount
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. degree — temperature

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