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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. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. root — of a word
  4. bass — low music
  5. degree — temperature
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. season — of the year
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. season — in sport
  15. degree — an amount
  16. dip — to sink
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. bass — the fish
  19. degree — from a university
  20. saw — the tool
  21. root — the cause
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. saw — the tool
  24. root — of a plant

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