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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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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: net · pit · pitch · bark · field · degree · root · leaves

  1. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. degree — an amount
  4. root — of a word
  5. net — after costs
  6. degree — temperature
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. net — in sport
  10. net — for catching
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. pit — in a race
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. root — of a plant
  16. field — farmland
  17. field — for sport
  18. field — a subject
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. pitch — completely
  21. pit — a hole
  22. bark — to shout
  23. degree — from a university
  24. bark — of a tree

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