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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: root · foot · degree · calf · fork · hide · staff · branch

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. degree — an amount
  3. degree — from a university
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. degree — temperature
  6. foot — a measure
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. fork — in a road
  10. branch — a division
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. root — of a plant
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. root — of a word
  20. staff — employees
  21. staff — a stick
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. root — the cause

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