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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: wave · row · tube · degree · chair · root · march · calf

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. march — music
  3. root — of a word
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. degree — temperature
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. march — the month
  8. row — to paddle
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. tube — a container
  11. root — of a plant
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. chair — a leader
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. row — a line
  18. tube — the underground
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. root — the cause
  23. degree — an amount
  24. degree — from a university

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