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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: firm · degree · spell · rush · cabinet · mate · chest · root

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. degree — temperature
  3. root — of a plant
  4. firm — decided
  5. spell — magic
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. chest — a box
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. rush — hurry
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. firm — a company
  12. spell — a short time
  13. chest — of your body
  14. chest — of your body
  15. mate — a partner
  16. mate — to breed
  17. degree — from a university
  18. mate — a friend
  19. root — of a word
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. degree — an amount
  22. spell — letters
  23. root — the cause
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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