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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: swing · shower · degree · root · fine · file · capital · object

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. degree — temperature
  3. object — to protest
  4. capital — a city
  5. shower — to wash
  6. file — a tool
  7. swing — in golf
  8. root — the cause
  9. degree — an amount
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. root — of a word
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. object — a thing
  14. swing — music
  15. file — a document
  16. object — an aim
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. fine — all right
  19. capital — money
  20. swing — to play on
  21. degree — from a university
  22. root — of a plant
  23. file — a line of people
  24. fine — high quality

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