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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
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: face · object · staff · fan · root · degree · tube · sharp

  1. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. sharp — clever
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. root — the cause
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. tube — a container
  7. object — to protest
  8. tube — the underground
  9. staff — a stick
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. degree — temperature
  12. degree — an amount
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. root — of a word
  15. object — a thing
  16. degree — from a university
  17. staff — employees
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. face — to confront
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. staff — employees
  22. face — part of the head
  23. face — to point toward
  24. root — of a plant

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