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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 116 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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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. branch — of a bank
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. clip — for paper
  9. clip — a video
  10. branch — a division
  11. degree — an amount
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. degree — from a university
  14. fall — to drop
  15. wax — to grow
  16. fall — to drop
  17. root — the cause
  18. root — of a plant
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. clip — to cut
  22. fall — the season
  23. degree — temperature
  24. hide — to keep secret

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