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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: bass · degree · rule · dip · root · prune · present · sharp

  1. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. degree — an amount
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. dip — to sink
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. sharp — clever
  7. bass — low music
  8. degree — from a university
  9. root — of a plant
  10. degree — temperature
  11. present — a gift
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. rule — a law
  15. bass — the fish
  16. root — the cause
  17. root — of a word
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. rule — government
  20. present — the time now
  21. prune — to trim
  22. present — there
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. prune — to trim

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