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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: bat · bound · swing · root · mug · season · tube · degree

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. season — of the year
  4. bound — tied together
  5. bat — the animal
  6. swing — music
  7. root — the cause
  8. degree — temperature
  9. season — in sport
  10. tube — a container
  11. tube — the underground
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. bound — certain
  14. root — of a word
  15. degree — from a university
  16. swing — to play on
  17. bound — obliged
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. mug — a face
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. mug — a cup
  22. swing — in golf
  23. mug — to rob
  24. root — of a plant

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