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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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468
Word bank
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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. ground — a position
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. rash — hasty
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. degree — an amount
  7. mark — a trace
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. root — of a word
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. mark — a grade
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. degree — from a university
  15. ground — the earth
  16. season — of the year
  17. root — of a plant
  18. ground — crushed
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. rash — a series
  21. branch — a division
  22. root — the cause
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. degree — temperature

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