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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. bear — the animal
  3. degree — temperature
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. root — the cause
  7. degree — an amount
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. spring — of water
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. bat — the animal
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. bear — the animal
  14. club — for golf
  15. root — of a plant
  16. club — for dancing
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. spring — the season
  20. spring — a coil
  21. club — a group
  22. degree — from a university
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. root — of a word

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