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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: degree · rush · root · toast · shower · jam · craft · fork

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  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. toast — bread
  2. craft — boats
  3. fork — in a road
  4. craft — a skill
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. root — of a word
  7. degree — an amount
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. rush — hurry
  10. shower — to wash
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. root — the cause
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. root — of a plant
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. degree — temperature
  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