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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 116 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: band · stem · hide · bound · staff · root · bulb · degree

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. bound — certain
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. degree — from a university
  6. stem — to come from
  7. root — of a word
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. band — a music group
  11. root — the cause
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. bound — obliged
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. staff — employees
  16. staff — a stick
  17. bulb — for light
  18. staff — employees
  19. degree — an amount
  20. root — of a plant
  21. bound — tied together
  22. bulb — for light
  23. band — a ring
  24. hide — animal skin

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