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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: face · degree · ground · fan · arm · pop · root · roll

  1. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. pop — to visit
  3. face — to point toward
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. degree — an amount
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. pop — music
  10. face — to confront
  11. roll — a cake
  12. pop — soda
  13. face — part of the head
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. ground — crushed
  16. roll — a list
  17. ground — the earth
  18. degree — from a university
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. root — of a plant
  22. ground — a position
  23. root — of a word
  24. degree — temperature

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