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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.

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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: degree · last · ball · drill · bass · bore · foot · root

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. root — of a word
  3. last — finally
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. degree — from a university
  6. root — of a plant
  7. last — final
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. ball — a dance
  10. bore — to tire
  11. degree — an amount
  12. drill — army training
  13. last — to go on
  14. degree — temperature
  15. ball — a great time
  16. bass — the fish
  17. drill — a practice
  18. root — the cause
  19. drill — the tool
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. foot — a measure
  22. bore — to drill
  23. bass — low music
  24. foot — part of the body

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