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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: prune · ground · spell · mug · net · root · ball · degree

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. ball — a dance
  3. ground — a position
  4. net — in sport
  5. degree — temperature
  6. net — for catching
  7. mug — a cup
  8. spell — magic
  9. spell — letters
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. root — of a word
  12. prune — to trim
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. mug — to rob
  15. ground — crushed
  16. root — the cause
  17. degree — from a university
  18. ball — a great time
  19. root — of a plant
  20. ground — the earth
  21. spell — a short time
  22. degree — an amount
  23. net — after costs
  24. prune — to trim

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