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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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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've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. root — of a plant
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. land — a country
  7. date — the fruit
  8. land — to come down
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. clip — for paper
  11. plane — a tool
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. clip — to cut
  15. root — the cause
  16. squash — to crush
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. kid — to tease
  19. kid — child
  20. root — of a word
  21. squash — the sport
  22. wake — a trail
  23. land — ground
  24. clip — a video

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