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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 · date · root · ball · season · mate · spring · temple

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. mate — to breed
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. degree — temperature
  6. root — the cause
  7. season — of the year
  8. season — in sport
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. mate — a friend
  11. ball — a great time
  12. ball — a dance
  13. root — of a plant
  14. degree — an amount
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. spring — of water
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. root — of a word
  19. spring — the season
  20. date — the fruit
  21. mate — a partner
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. degree — from a university
  24. spring — a coil

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