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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: snap · bat · degree · bowl · trunk · root · foot · hand

  1. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. hand — help
  4. degree — from a university
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. snap — to click
  7. hand — in cards
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. root — of a plant
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. bat — the animal
  12. root — of a word
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. degree — an amount
  21. degree — temperature
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. foot — a measure
  24. bowl — a dish

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