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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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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 · bank · season · pound · pitcher · squash · root · straw

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. root — the cause
  4. season — in sport
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. root — of a plant
  7. bank — for money
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. season — of the year
  10. bank — for money
  11. root — of a word
  12. degree — from a university
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. degree — an amount
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. pound — a weight
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. squash — the sport
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. degree — temperature
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. squash — to crush
  24. bank — of a river

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