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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. firm — decided
  3. root — of a plant
  4. root — the cause
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. degree — an amount
  7. bank — for money
  8. firm — steady
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. bank — for money
  16. degree — from a university
  17. bank — of a river
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. firm — a company
  21. kid — child
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. degree — temperature
  24. root — of a word

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