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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 big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. spell — magic
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. degree — temperature
  5. root — the cause
  6. stem — to come from
  7. firm — steady
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. bulb — for light
  10. firm — a company
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. firm — decided
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. root — of a plant
  15. degree — an amount
  16. root — of a word
  17. spell — letters
  18. bat — the animal
  19. spell — a short time
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. deal — to handle
  22. bulb — for light
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. degree — from a university

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