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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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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 King held a masked ________________.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. degree — from a university
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. perch — the fish
  5. degree — an amount
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. branch — a division
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. stem — to come from
  10. degree — temperature
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. ball — a great time
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. root — of a plant
  16. bass — low music
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. root — of a word
  21. root — the cause
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. bass — the fish
  24. cabinet — ministers

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