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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: degree · racket · root · bank · last · net · mouse · file

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. net — for catching
  3. last — finally
  4. file — a document
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. bank — for money
  9. root — of a word
  10. file — a tool
  11. degree — an amount
  12. net — after costs
  13. bank — of a river
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. file — a line of people
  16. root — of a plant
  17. last — final
  18. degree — temperature
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. last — to go on
  21. net — in sport
  22. bank — for money
  23. root — the cause
  24. mouse — for a computer

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