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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: scale · spell · pop · root · degree · ground · bowl · cap

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. pop — to visit
  3. scale — in music
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. spell — letters
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. degree — temperature
  8. pop — music
  9. cap — a hat
  10. root — the cause
  11. spell — a short time
  12. degree — an amount
  13. spell — magic
  14. root — of a plant
  15. degree — from a university
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. ground — crushed
  18. cap — of ice
  19. scale — size or range
  20. ground — the earth
  21. pop — soda
  22. ground — a position
  23. cap — a lid
  24. scale — for weighing

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