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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 ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. key — in music
  6. key — for a lock
  7. degree — an amount
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. root — the cause
  11. root — of a word
  12. root — of a plant
  13. bear — the animal
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. stem — to come from
  17. bear — the animal
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. key — the most important part
  21. degree — temperature
  22. foot — a measure
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. bear — to put up with

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