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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 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. root — of a plant
  3. band — a music group
  4. spring — the season
  5. degree — temperature
  6. degree — an amount
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. spring — of water
  9. spring — a coil
  10. staff — a stick
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. staff — employees
  14. perch — the fish
  15. degree — from a university
  16. staff — employees
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. shower — to wash
  22. root — the cause
  23. shower — rain
  24. band — a ring

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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