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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: pitcher · fine · root · wake · track · bat · degree · stand

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. root — of a plant
  3. fine — all right
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. root — the cause
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. track — a song
  9. fine — high quality
  10. track — to keep track
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. wake — a trail
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. degree — an amount
  15. track — a path
  16. stand — to bear
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. degree — from a university
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. degree — temperature
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. bat — the animal
  24. wake — before a funeral

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