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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 · fall · march · key · row · bulb · root · patient

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. fall — to drop
  3. root — of a word
  4. bulb — for light
  5. row — a line
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. march — the month
  8. key — the most important part
  9. degree — temperature
  10. root — the cause
  11. fall — the season
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. fall — to drop
  14. key — in music
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. bulb — for light
  18. march — music
  19. degree — an amount
  20. row — to paddle
  21. root — of a plant
  22. march — the month
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. key — for a lock

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