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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 116 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: root · cap · wake · degree · shower · mark · cell · plane

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. root — of a plant
  3. wake — a trail
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. root — the cause
  6. cap — a hat
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. root — of a word
  9. plane — a tool
  10. cell — a phone
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. mark — a trace
  15. cap — of ice
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. degree — an amount
  18. cell — in biology
  19. cap — a lid
  20. shower — rain
  21. degree — from a university
  22. degree — temperature
  23. shower — to wash
  24. mark — a grade

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