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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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. fine — all right
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. staff — a stick
  5. degree — from a university
  6. bank — for money
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. degree — temperature
  9. snap — to click
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. root — of a plant
  13. root — the cause
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. degree — an amount
  16. staff — employees
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. bank — for money
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. stem — to come from
  22. fine — high quality
  23. root — of a word
  24. staff — employees

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