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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: root · bore · lean · content · ground · trunk · safe · degree

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. ground — a position
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. root — of a plant
  5. degree — an amount
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. bore — to tire
  8. root — the cause
  9. root — of a word
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. ground — crushed
  14. degree — temperature
  15. content — happy
  16. degree — from a university
  17. lean — to bend
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. ground — the earth
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. bore — to drill
  23. lean — thin
  24. content — the amount

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