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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 black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. degree — an amount
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. root — of a plant
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. cap — a hat
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. degree — from a university
  10. cap — a lid
  11. root — the cause
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. kid — to tease
  14. kid — child
  15. cap — of ice
  16. degree — temperature
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. root — of a word
  20. band — a music group
  21. bear — the animal
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. band — a ring

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