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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: degree · root · pitcher · jam · capital · coach · prune · field

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. field — a subject
  3. root — the cause
  4. field — farmland
  5. degree — an amount
  6. degree — temperature
  7. capital — a city
  8. root — of a word
  9. prune — to trim
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. root — of a plant
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. degree — from a university
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. field — for sport
  20. prune — to trim
  21. capital — money
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. coach — a trainer

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