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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 · pop · net · bowl · bound · lash · degree · scale

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. degree — an amount
  3. pop — soda
  4. root — the cause
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. degree — temperature
  8. pop — to visit
  9. net — in sport
  10. bound — certain
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. degree — from a university
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. net — after costs
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. pop — music
  17. root — of a plant
  18. scale — in music
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. bound — tied together
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. scale — size or range
  23. root — of a word
  24. bound — obliged

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