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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: key · roll · mine · field · root · degree · firm · foot

  1. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. foot — a measure
  3. root — of a word
  4. firm — a company
  5. root — of a plant
  6. degree — from a university
  7. key — for a lock
  8. field — for sport
  9. key — the most important part
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. degree — temperature
  13. field — a subject
  14. firm — steady
  15. key — in music
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. roll — a list
  18. firm — decided
  19. degree — an amount
  20. root — the cause
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. roll — a cake
  23. field — farmland
  24. mine — for digging

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