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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. bat — the animal
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. plane — a tool
  10. root — of a word
  11. branch — a division
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. foot — a measure
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. root — of a plant
  18. fork — in a road
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. pitch — completely
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. wake — a trail
  24. root — the cause

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