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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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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 · current · bulb · ground · degree · cell · kid · cue

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. ground — a position
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. cue — a signal
  5. root — of a plant
  6. degree — an amount
  7. degree — temperature
  8. degree — from a university
  9. current — happening now
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. kid — to tease
  12. cell — in biology
  13. bulb — for light
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. kid — child
  16. current — of water
  17. cell — a phone
  18. root — the cause
  19. cue — a hint
  20. ground — crushed
  21. bulb — for light
  22. root — of a word
  23. cue — for pool
  24. current — electric

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