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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.

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: cell · root · pitcher · bulb · ground · lash · degree · current

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. ground — a position
  3. degree — an amount
  4. ground — crushed
  5. cell — in biology
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. cell — a phone
  8. degree — from a university
  9. root — of a plant
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. bulb — for light
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. current — happening now
  15. root — the cause
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. bulb — for light
  18. current — of water
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. degree — temperature
  21. ground — the earth
  22. root — of a word
  23. current — electric
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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