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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 · rest · bound · chest · root · mate · degree · bulb

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. rest — what's left
  3. bulb — for light
  4. chest — of your body
  5. chest — a box
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. degree — temperature
  8. bound — tied together
  9. mate — a friend
  10. root — the cause
  11. bulb — for light
  12. mate — a partner
  13. chest — of your body
  14. degree — from a university
  15. bound — certain
  16. rest — a break
  17. mate — to breed
  18. bound — obliged
  19. root — of a plant
  20. root — of a word
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. rest — what's left
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. safe — out of danger

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