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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: root · bore · net · fan · degree · swing · tear · rush

  1. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  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. root — of a plant
  2. net — for catching
  3. swing — in golf
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. net — in sport
  6. bore — to tire
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. degree — from a university
  9. swing — to play on
  10. net — after costs
  11. tear — from crying
  12. bore — to drill
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. tear — to rip
  16. rush — hurry
  17. tear — from crying
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. root — of a word
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. root — the cause
  22. degree — an amount
  23. swing — music
  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