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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: trunk · degree · bulb · root · fan · track · deal · cell

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  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. track — a song
  2. degree — from a university
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. deal — to handle
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. cell — in biology
  7. degree — an amount
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. track — a path
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. cell — a phone
  13. root — of a plant
  14. degree — temperature
  15. root — the cause
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. root — of a word
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. bulb — for light
  22. track — to keep track
  23. bulb — for light
  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