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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: hide · root · mark · bulb · degree · last · nail · wind

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. bulb — for light
  3. wind — moving air
  4. last — to go on
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. root — of a word
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. root — of a plant
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. last — finally
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. degree — an amount
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. mark — a trace
  17. root — the cause
  18. mark — a grade
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. degree — temperature
  21. bulb — for light
  22. last — final
  23. wind — moving air
  24. nail — for a hammer

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