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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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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: bowl · kid · root · stand · plane · current · stick · degree

  1. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. degree — temperature
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. root — the cause
  7. kid — child
  8. degree — from a university
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. degree — an amount
  12. current — electric
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. kid — to tease
  16. root — of a plant
  17. current — happening now
  18. stand — to bear
  19. plane — a tool
  20. current — of water
  21. root — of a word
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. bowl — a football final

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