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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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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: safe · dip · root · land · snap · field · prune · degree

  1. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. root — the cause
  3. degree — from a university
  4. field — for sport
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. land — a country
  7. land — ground
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. prune — to trim
  10. snap — to click
  11. prune — to trim
  12. land — to come down
  13. dip — to sink
  14. field — a subject
  15. root — of a plant
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. root — of a word
  20. degree — temperature
  21. field — farmland
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. degree — an amount

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