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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: degree · can · shower · hide · wax · root · bulb · sharp

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. root — of a plant
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. root — of a word
  6. root — the cause
  7. can — a tin
  8. degree — temperature
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. bulb — for light
  11. wax — to grow
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. sharp — clever
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. shower — to wash
  19. can — a tin
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. can — to be able to
  22. bulb — for light
  23. degree — from a university
  24. shower — rain

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