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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
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: land · spring · pit · leaves · degree · can · root · wind

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. can — a tin
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. wind — moving air
  5. root — the cause
  6. spring — a coil
  7. spring — of water
  8. pit — a hole
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. root — of a plant
  11. spring — the season
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. land — ground
  14. degree — from a university
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. degree — an amount
  17. wind — moving air
  18. pit — in a race
  19. degree — temperature
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. can — a tin
  22. land — a country
  23. land — to come down
  24. can — to be able to

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