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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 116 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: march · root · trunk · craft · wave · racket · court · degree

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. degree — an amount
  8. court — of a king
  9. root — of a word
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. march — the month
  12. degree — temperature
  13. root — of a plant
  14. craft — a skill
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. court — of law
  18. march — music
  19. degree — from a university
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. craft — boats
  23. court — for sport
  24. root — the cause

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