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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.

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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: can · degree · bat · bear · field · sharp · march · root

  1. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. can — a tin
  3. bear — the animal
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. march — the month
  7. sharp — clever
  8. march — music
  9. root — of a word
  10. bat — the animal
  11. field — farmland
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. degree — an amount
  14. can — a tin
  15. root — of a plant
  16. bear — the animal
  17. degree — from a university
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. degree — temperature
  20. can — to be able to
  21. march — the month
  22. field — for sport
  23. field — a subject
  24. bear — to put up with

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