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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 120 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: swing · present · temple · safe · lash · field · degree · root

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. root — of a word
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. root — the cause
  6. field — a subject
  7. degree — temperature
  8. present — there
  9. present — a gift
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. degree — an amount
  12. degree — from a university
  13. swing — to play on
  14. root — of a plant
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. swing — music
  18. present — the time now
  19. field — for sport
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. swing — in golf
  23. field — farmland
  24. lash — an eyelash

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