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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 116 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. root — the cause
  3. plane — a tool
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. lean — to bend
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. root — of a plant
  9. game — a match
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. game — wild animals
  14. rush — hurry
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. bass — low music
  17. row — a line
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. lean — thin
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. bass — the fish
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. row — to paddle

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