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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. root — of a plant
  3. degree — an amount
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. sharp — clever
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. spring — a coil
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. root — of a word
  11. cap — a lid
  12. degree — from a university
  13. pound — a weight
  14. cap — of ice
  15. bank — for money
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. cap — a hat
  18. spring — of water
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. spring — the season
  21. degree — temperature
  22. bank — of a river
  23. root — the cause
  24. pound — to hit hard

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