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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: racket · root · wake · rest · craft · roll · degree · lean

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. lean — thin
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. rest — what's left
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. root — of a word
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. wake — a trail
  9. craft — a skill
  10. rest — a break
  11. craft — boats
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. rest — what's left
  15. roll — a cake
  16. roll — a list
  17. root — the cause
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. degree — from a university
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. root — of a plant
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. degree — an amount
  24. lean — to bend

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