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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: bowl · degree · bore · root · mark · jam · hand · rush

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  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. root — of a word
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. root — the cause
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. hand — in cards
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. mark — a grade
  9. bore — to drill
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. mark — a trace
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. root — of a plant
  14. rush — hurry
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. bore — to tire
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. hand — help
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. degree — from a university
  23. degree — temperature
  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