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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: degree · root · spring · swing · key · season · lash · rule

  1. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. key — the most important part
  3. swing — to play on
  4. swing — in golf
  5. key — in music
  6. rule — government
  7. season — in sport
  8. degree — from a university
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. root — of a word
  11. swing — music
  12. rule — a law
  13. spring — of water
  14. spring — the season
  15. season — of the year
  16. root — of a plant
  17. key — for a lock
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. spring — a coil
  21. degree — temperature
  22. degree — an amount
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. lash — an eyelash

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