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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: stand · degree · prune · bulb · root · wave · leaves · last

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. bulb — for light
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. degree — from a university
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. prune — to trim
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. last — finally
  11. prune — to trim
  12. last — to go on
  13. root — the cause
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. degree — temperature
  16. stand — to bear
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. root — of a plant
  20. last — final
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. root — of a word
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. bulb — for light

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