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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 116 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
468
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: trunk · root · squash · degree · leaves · field · file · ball

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. ball — a great time
  3. field — farmland
  4. degree — an amount
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. ball — a dance
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. squash — to crush
  9. file — a line of people
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. degree — from a university
  12. file — a document
  13. root — of a plant
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. field — a subject
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. squash — the sport
  21. degree — temperature
  22. file — a tool
  23. root — the cause
  24. root — of a word

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