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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: leaves · root · degree · jam · date · stand · cold · pitch

  1. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. cold — not warm
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. pitch — completely
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. degree — an amount
  11. degree — from a university
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. date — the fruit
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. root — of a word
  17. stand — to bear
  18. root — of a plant
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. root — the cause
  22. cold — an illness
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. degree — temperature

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