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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 120 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: chip · foot · leaves · capital · root · degree · bound · pop

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. pop — to visit
  3. degree — temperature
  4. degree — an amount
  5. root — the cause
  6. capital — a city
  7. pop — music
  8. root — of a plant
  9. capital — money
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. foot — a measure
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. pop — soda
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. bound — certain
  17. degree — from a university
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. root — of a word
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. bound — obliged
  23. bound — tied together
  24. chip — for betting

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