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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: mark · root · roll · degree · court · craft · dip · land

  1. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. mark — a grade
  3. mark — a trace
  4. land — ground
  5. root — of a word
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. craft — a skill
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. roll — a cake
  10. court — of law
  11. roll — a list
  12. root — of a plant
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. land — to come down
  15. dip — to sink
  16. degree — temperature
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. land — a country
  20. degree — an amount
  21. court — of a king
  22. court — for sport
  23. root — the cause
  24. degree — from a university

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