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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: root · perch · bound · bulb · staff · cabinet · race · degree

  1. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  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. root — the cause
  2. staff — employees
  3. degree — from a university
  4. root — of a word
  5. staff — a stick
  6. degree — an amount
  7. bound — certain
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. race — humankind
  10. perch — the fish
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. root — of a plant
  14. bound — obliged
  15. bound — tied together
  16. bulb — for light
  17. race — a contest
  18. bulb — for light
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. race — the arms race
  21. staff — employees
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. degree — temperature
  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