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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.

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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: root · land · rule · saw · pound · degree · mate · rash

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. rash — a series
  4. saw — the tool
  5. root — the cause
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. rule — government
  9. degree — an amount
  10. saw — the tool
  11. mate — a friend
  12. rule — a law
  13. degree — temperature
  14. root — of a word
  15. land — ground
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. pound — a weight
  18. rash — hasty
  19. land — to come down
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. land — a country
  22. root — of a plant
  23. mate — a partner
  24. degree — from a university

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