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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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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 · root · hide · saw · clip · stick · date · chest

  1. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. root — the cause
  3. chest — of your body
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. degree — temperature
  6. degree — an amount
  7. root — of a word
  8. chest — of your body
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. clip — a video
  11. clip — to cut
  12. saw — the tool
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. chest — a box
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. date — the fruit
  19. clip — for paper
  20. degree — from a university
  21. saw — the tool
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. hide — to keep secret

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