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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: ball · degree · fan · prune · cap · root · racket · dip

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. root — of a word
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. ball — a dance
  5. cap — a hat
  6. prune — to trim
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. ball — a great time
  9. root — the cause
  10. degree — an amount
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. prune — to trim
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. root — of a plant
  16. cap — a lid
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. dip — to sink
  19. cap — of ice
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. degree — from a university
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. degree — temperature
  24. racket — for tennis

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