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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: degree · cold · branch · bass · rash · root · capital · stand

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. rash — a series
  3. rash — hasty
  4. degree — from a university
  5. capital — a city
  6. root — the cause
  7. root — of a plant
  8. degree — temperature
  9. bass — low music
  10. root — of a word
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. capital — money
  14. cold — an illness
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. degree — an amount
  17. bass — the fish
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. cold — not warm
  21. branch — a division
  22. stand — to bear
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. rash — on the skin

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