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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: ground · root · racket · stem · stand · craft · pitcher · degree

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. craft — boats
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. ground — a position
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. root — of a plant
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. stem — to come from
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. degree — temperature
  12. ground — the earth
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. root — the cause
  16. stand — to bear
  17. ground — crushed
  18. root — of a word
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. degree — from a university
  22. craft — a skill
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. pitcher — a jug

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