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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
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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: march · fine · degree · bear · bat · press · root · staff

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. degree — an amount
  3. march — the month
  4. root — the cause
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. fine — all right
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. staff — employees
  9. bear — the animal
  10. degree — temperature
  11. bat — the animal
  12. march — the month
  13. root — of a plant
  14. root — of a word
  15. degree — from a university
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. press — newspapers
  18. staff — employees
  19. fine — high quality
  20. press — to push
  21. press — a publisher
  22. bear — the animal
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. staff — a stick

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