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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 carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. root — of a word
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. band — a music group
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. root — of a plant
  8. last — to go on
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. root — the cause
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. club — a group
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. last — finally
  15. last — final
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. club — for dancing
  21. band — a ring
  22. mine — for digging
  23. club — for golf
  24. arm — part of the body

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