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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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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: root · bowl · bark · mate · pop · bulb · degree · swing

  1. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. degree — from a university
  5. swing — music
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. bark — to shout
  8. pop — soda
  9. root — of a word
  10. bulb — for light
  11. mate — a friend
  12. pop — to visit
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. mate — to breed
  15. degree — an amount
  16. swing — to play on
  17. swing — in golf
  18. root — the cause
  19. mate — a partner
  20. bulb — for light
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. pop — music
  23. degree — temperature
  24. bark — of a tree

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