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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: degree · cap · root · hide · cold · bulb · current · mine

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. cold — not warm
  5. degree — temperature
  6. bulb — for light
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. cold — an illness
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. degree — from a university
  11. current — happening now
  12. bulb — for light
  13. cap — a hat
  14. mine — for digging
  15. root — of a plant
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. cap — of ice
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. current — of water
  20. root — the cause
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. current — electric
  23. cap — a lid
  24. degree — an amount

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