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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 120 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
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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 · degree · leaves · fan · cold · mine · bulb · cap

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. cap — a hat
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. bulb — for light
  6. root — the cause
  7. degree — an amount
  8. root — of a plant
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. mine — for digging
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. cold — not warm
  14. bulb — for light
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. root — of a word
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. degree — from a university
  21. cap — of ice
  22. cold — an illness
  23. cap — a lid
  24. mine — an explosive

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