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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. can — a tin
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. squash — to crush
  6. can — to be able to
  7. season — in sport
  8. lean — to bend
  9. squash — the sport
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. row — a line
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. row — to paddle
  14. root — the cause
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. can — a tin
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. degree — an amount
  19. lean — thin
  20. season — of the year
  21. root — of a plant
  22. degree — temperature
  23. root — of a word
  24. squash — the vegetable

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