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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 ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. tear — from crying
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. drill — the tool
  6. tube — a container
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. tear — to rip
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. plane — a tool
  11. drill — a practice
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. drill — army training
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. tear — from crying
  17. branch — a division
  18. deal — to handle
  19. mine — for digging
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. tube — the underground
  22. root — of a plant
  23. root — the cause
  24. mine — belonging to me

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