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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: date · row · scale · root · roll · degree · mug · bark

  1. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. roll — a list
  3. mug — to rob
  4. degree — an amount
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. root — of a plant
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. mug — a cup
  10. bark — to shout
  11. mug — a face
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. degree — temperature
  14. row — a line
  15. date — the fruit
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. row — to paddle
  19. root — the cause
  20. root — of a word
  21. roll — a cake
  22. degree — from a university
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. scale — size or range

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