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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. root — the cause
  4. tube — the underground
  5. rush — hurry
  6. cap — a lid
  7. root — of a word
  8. degree — temperature
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. root — of a plant
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. spell — a short time
  14. cap — of ice
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. spell — magic
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. degree — an amount
  22. spell — letters
  23. cap — a hat
  24. tube — a container

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