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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. root — of a word
  3. land — ground
  4. stand — to bear
  5. can — a tin
  6. can — to be able to
  7. root — the cause
  8. land — a country
  9. land — to come down
  10. current — electric
  11. current — happening now
  12. current — of water
  13. object — a thing
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. bound — obliged
  16. degree — temperature
  17. can — a tin
  18. object — to protest
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. object — an aim
  21. root — of a plant
  22. bound — certain
  23. bound — tied together
  24. degree — an amount

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