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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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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: cue · current · degree · perch · root · rest · tear · rock

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. degree — an amount
  3. current — electric
  4. rock — music
  5. root — of a word
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. degree — temperature
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. cue — a hint
  10. root — of a plant
  11. current — happening now
  12. rock — a stone
  13. rest — a break
  14. root — the cause
  15. cue — a signal
  16. tear — to rip
  17. degree — from a university
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. rest — what's left
  20. tear — from crying
  21. rest — what's left
  22. cue — for pool
  23. current — of water
  24. perch — the fish

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