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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: toast · root · degree · foot · leaves · key · trunk · last

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. key — for a lock
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. last — finally
  7. foot — a measure
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. last — final
  10. root — of a plant
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. degree — an amount
  13. root — of a word
  14. root — the cause
  15. toast — bread
  16. key — in music
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. key — the most important part
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. degree — from a university
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. degree — temperature
  24. trunk — of a car

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