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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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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: board · prune · root · craft · bass · degree · mine · pop

  1. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. board — a committee
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. pop — soda
  7. root — the cause
  8. craft — boats
  9. degree — temperature
  10. pop — music
  11. degree — from a university
  12. prune — to trim
  13. craft — a skill
  14. mine — for digging
  15. board — to get on
  16. bass — the fish
  17. root — of a word
  18. prune — to trim
  19. bass — low music
  20. pop — to visit
  21. degree — an amount
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. root — of a plant
  24. prune — the fruit

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