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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. swing — music
  5. swing — to play on
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. foot — a measure
  8. root — the cause
  9. swing — in golf
  10. hand — in cards
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. firm — decided
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. mine — for digging
  17. root — of a plant
  18. firm — a company
  19. plane — a tool
  20. prune — to trim
  21. hand — help
  22. firm — steady
  23. root — of a word
  24. prune — to trim

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