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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: cap · mine · bowl · fall · march · root · degree · tube

  1. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. cap — a hat
  3. tube — the underground
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. march — the month
  7. cap — a lid
  8. root — of a plant
  9. fall — to drop
  10. fall — the season
  11. march — the month
  12. cap — of ice
  13. degree — from a university
  14. degree — temperature
  15. mine — for digging
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. root — of a word
  18. tube — a container
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. march — music
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. degree — an amount
  24. fall — to drop

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