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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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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: foot · wound · straw · degree · root · firm · trunk · stem

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. degree — from a university
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. root — the cause
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. stem — to come from
  8. root — of a plant
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. foot — a measure
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. firm — a company
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. wound — an injury
  17. firm — steady
  18. degree — an amount
  19. wound — an injury
  20. firm — decided
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. foot — the bottom
  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