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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: degree · craft · bulb · kid · staff · root · file · leaves

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. staff — employees
  4. degree — an amount
  5. bulb — for light
  6. root — the cause
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. degree — from a university
  9. bulb — for light
  10. root — of a word
  11. root — of a plant
  12. file — a line of people
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. file — a document
  16. file — a tool
  17. craft — boats
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. kid — child
  20. kid — to tease
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. craft — a skill
  23. degree — temperature
  24. staff — a stick

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