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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. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. ground — a position
  3. root — of a plant
  4. sharp — clever
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. bark — to shout
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. dip — to sink
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. root — the cause
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. ground — the earth
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. plane — a tool
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. rush — hurry
  21. root — of a word
  22. ground — crushed
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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