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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. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. bass — the fish
  4. current — electric
  5. root — of a word
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. bass — low music
  8. degree — an amount
  9. net — after costs
  10. degree — from a university
  11. saw — the tool
  12. saw — the tool
  13. net — in sport
  14. degree — temperature
  15. prune — to trim
  16. current — happening now
  17. prune — to trim
  18. root — the cause
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. current — of water
  21. net — for catching
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. trunk — of a car

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