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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: degree · pitcher · temple · foot · bark · kid · rush · root

  1. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. bark — to shout
  3. kid — child
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. root — the cause
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. kid — to tease
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. root — of a plant
  15. rush — hurry
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. degree — from a university
  19. root — of a word
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. foot — a measure
  23. degree — an amount
  24. degree — temperature

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