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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. file — a line of people
  3. root — of a plant
  4. prune — to trim
  5. roll — a list
  6. spell — letters
  7. current — electric
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. file — a tool
  10. current — of water
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. degree — temperature
  13. root — of a word
  14. degree — from a university
  15. current — happening now
  16. root — the cause
  17. file — a document
  18. prune — to trim
  19. roll — a cake
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. degree — an amount
  22. spell — magic
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. spell — a short time

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