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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 · snap · rash · root · land · degree · kick · cabinet

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. snap — to click
  3. root — of a plant
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. rash — hasty
  8. land — a country
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. date — the fruit
  11. land — ground
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. rash — a series
  14. degree — from a university
  15. land — to come down
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. degree — an amount
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. degree — temperature
  23. root — the cause
  24. kick — in football

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