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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 120 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 ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. sharp — clever
  3. root — of a plant
  4. rock — music
  5. degree — from a university
  6. root — of a word
  7. degree — an amount
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. shower — rain
  11. bore — to tire
  12. rock — a stone
  13. degree — temperature
  14. bore — to drill
  15. shower — to wash
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. content — the amount
  22. content — happy
  23. root — the cause
  24. leaves — to go away

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