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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.

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: field · can · dip · season · root · chair · degree · leaves

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. degree — from a university
  3. root — the cause
  4. field — a subject
  5. degree — an amount
  6. season — in sport
  7. can — a tin
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. can — a tin
  13. season — of the year
  14. root — of a plant
  15. field — farmland
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. root — of a word
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. field — for sport
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. degree — temperature
  23. dip — to sink
  24. can — to be able to

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