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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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. fall — the season
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. fall — to drop
  6. ground — a position
  7. fork — in a road
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. dip — to sink
  11. root — of a word
  12. tube — a container
  13. root — the cause
  14. plane — a tool
  15. ground — crushed
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. ground — the earth
  18. tube — the underground
  19. perch — the fish
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. root — of a plant
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. fall — to drop
  24. perch — for a bird

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