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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. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. degree — temperature
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. root — of a plant
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. march — music
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. degree — an amount
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. bear — the animal
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. mine — for digging
  17. root — of a word
  18. root — the cause
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. degree — from a university
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. march — the month
  23. march — the month
  24. temple — a place of worship

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