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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. stem — to come from
  3. drill — the tool
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. degree — temperature
  6. wound — an injury
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. degree — an amount
  10. drill — army training
  11. root — of a word
  12. wound — an injury
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. perch — the fish
  16. fine — high quality
  17. root — of a plant
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. sharp — clever
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. fine — all right
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. root — the cause
  24. degree — from a university

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