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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bore · root · net · degree · court · stem · tube · racket

  1. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. bore — to tire
  3. degree — temperature
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. court — of law
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. court — for sport
  8. root — the cause
  9. bore — to drill
  10. tube — a container
  11. net — for catching
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. stem — to come from
  14. root — of a word
  15. degree — an amount
  16. court — of a king
  17. net — after costs
  18. degree — from a university
  19. net — in sport
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. tube — the underground
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. root — of a plant
  24. stem — a stem cell

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