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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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468
Word bank
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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. swing — music
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. plane — a tool
  5. file — a line of people
  6. root — of a word
  7. stand — to bear
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. capital — a city
  11. bear — the animal
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. file — a tool
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. swing — to play on
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. swing — in golf
  19. root — of a plant
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. capital — money
  22. file — a document
  23. root — the cause
  24. stand — on your feet

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