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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. root — of a plant
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. spring — of water
  5. tube — the underground
  6. squash — the sport
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. bank — of a river
  9. bank — for money
  10. spring — a coil
  11. tube — a container
  12. root — the cause
  13. chest — of your body
  14. bank — for money
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. chest — a box
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. root — of a word
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. degree — from a university
  21. degree — an amount
  22. spring — the season
  23. chest — of your body
  24. squash — to crush

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