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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 124 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
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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: mine · bark · degree · pass · saw · root · lash · mate

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. saw — the tool
  3. mine — for digging
  4. degree — an amount
  5. degree — temperature
  6. mate — a friend
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. root — the cause
  11. mate — to breed
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. saw — the tool
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. pass — a permit
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. mate — a partner
  18. root — of a plant
  19. degree — from a university
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. bark — to shout
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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