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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: degree · craft · chair · lean · root · race · rush · foot

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. lean — thin
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. race — humankind
  6. root — of a plant
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. lean — to bend
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. degree — temperature
  11. craft — a skill
  12. race — a contest
  13. rush — hurry
  14. craft — boats
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. race — the arms race
  17. foot — a measure
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. root — the cause
  20. root — of a word
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. degree — an amount
  24. chair — a leader

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