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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: degree · root · suit · cabinet · fall · tube · file · pop

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. fall — the season
  3. tube — a container
  4. root — of a plant
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. suit — clothes
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. root — of a word
  9. file — a tool
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. fall — to drop
  12. suit — to fit
  13. degree — an amount
  14. fall — to drop
  15. pop — music
  16. degree — from a university
  17. suit — in cards
  18. root — the cause
  19. pop — to visit
  20. degree — temperature
  21. file — a document
  22. tube — the underground
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. file — a line of people

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