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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 120 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. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. degree — from a university
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. spell — magic
  6. spell — letters
  7. degree — an amount
  8. march — the month
  9. degree — temperature
  10. root — of a word
  11. spell — a short time
  12. march — music
  13. march — the month
  14. prune — to trim
  15. stem — to come from
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. prune — to trim
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. root — of a plant
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. leaves — to go away

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