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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. mark — a trace
  3. root — of a plant
  4. lean — thin
  5. root — of a word
  6. lean — to bend
  7. bark — to shout
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. degree — temperature
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. mark — a grade
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. root — the cause
  14. degree — an amount
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. pop — soda
  20. degree — from a university
  21. cell — in biology
  22. cell — a phone
  23. pop — to visit
  24. bark — of a tree

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