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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 · degree · roll · plane · mine · temple · suit · ground

  1. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. roll — a cake
  3. roll — a list
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. ground — a position
  6. suit — to fit
  7. degree — an amount
  8. degree — temperature
  9. suit — clothes
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. degree — from a university
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. ground — crushed
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. ground — the earth
  17. root — of a plant
  18. mine — for digging
  19. root — of a word
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. suit — in cards
  22. root — the cause
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. plane — in geometry

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