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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: toast · wave · degree · chest · stick · track · object · root

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. root — of a word
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. root — of a plant
  6. degree — an amount
  7. chest — of your body
  8. root — the cause
  9. object — an aim
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. track — a path
  12. degree — from a university
  13. degree — temperature
  14. object — a thing
  15. object — to protest
  16. track — to keep track
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. chest — of your body
  19. track — a song
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. toast — bread
  23. chest — a box
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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