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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: chip · wound · root · court · last · straw · bulb · degree

  1. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. degree — an amount
  3. degree — temperature
  4. root — of a word
  5. wound — an injury
  6. bulb — for light
  7. root — the cause
  8. degree — from a university
  9. bulb — for light
  10. last — finally
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. court — of a king
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. court — of law
  15. last — to go on
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. last — final
  18. chip — to eat
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. root — of a plant
  23. court — for sport
  24. wound — an injury

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