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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. chest — a box
  3. rest — a break
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. rest — what's left
  6. ground — the earth
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. prune — to trim
  9. rest — what's left
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. root — of a word
  12. bulb — for light
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. bulb — for light
  15. root — of a plant
  16. root — the cause
  17. chest — of your body
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. chest — of your body
  20. row — to paddle
  21. plane — a tool
  22. ground — crushed
  23. prune — to trim
  24. row — a line

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