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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. degree — temperature
  3. degree — from a university
  4. bound — tied together
  5. hand — help
  6. dip — to sink
  7. wind — moving air
  8. wind — moving air
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. bound — obliged
  11. bulb — for light
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. hand — in cards
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. root — of a plant
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. degree — an amount
  20. bound — certain
  21. bulb — for light
  22. root — the cause
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. wind — to turn a key

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