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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. root — of a word
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. root — of a plant
  5. saw — the tool
  6. degree — from a university
  7. root — the cause
  8. clip — to cut
  9. branch — a division
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. degree — an amount
  12. clip — a video
  13. bore — to tire
  14. degree — temperature
  15. bass — the fish
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. saw — the tool
  18. bore — to drill
  19. bass — low music
  20. clip — for paper
  21. pitch — completely
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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