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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 train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. net — after costs
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. root — of a word
  5. prune — to trim
  6. prune — to trim
  7. stock — goods
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. degree — temperature
  10. net — in sport
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. degree — an amount
  13. lie — to recline
  14. root — the cause
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. root — of a plant
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. net — for catching
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. degree — from a university
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. stock — shares

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