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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 120 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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. net — after costs
  3. can — to be able to
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. can — a tin
  6. root — of a plant
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. net — for catching
  10. cell — in biology
  11. can — a tin
  12. net — in sport
  13. cell — a phone
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. wake — a trail
  17. plane — a tool
  18. march — the month
  19. march — the month
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. root — the cause
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. march — music

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