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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: root · degree · board · leaves · track · season · arm · saw

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. track — a path
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. saw — the tool
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. season — in sport
  8. board — to get on
  9. track — a song
  10. degree — from a university
  11. root — the cause
  12. saw — the tool
  13. root — of a plant
  14. season — of the year
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. board — a committee
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. track — to keep track
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. root — of a word
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. degree — temperature

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