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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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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: field · degree · bound · rule · temple · root · chest · prune

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. bound — obliged
  3. field — for sport
  4. root — the cause
  5. degree — an amount
  6. prune — to trim
  7. bound — tied together
  8. root — of a plant
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. rule — a law
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. degree — from a university
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. prune — to trim
  16. bound — certain
  17. degree — temperature
  18. chest — of your body
  19. rule — government
  20. field — farmland
  21. field — a subject
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. chest — a box
  24. root — of a word

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