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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: current · prune · degree · mine · hide · root · sharp · lean

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. root — of a word
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. sharp — clever
  7. current — happening now
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. current — electric
  10. lean — to bend
  11. prune — to trim
  12. mine — for digging
  13. root — the cause
  14. degree — temperature
  15. prune — to trim
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. root — of a plant
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. lean — thin
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. degree — from a university
  24. current — of water

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