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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. branch — a division
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. last — to go on
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. root — the cause
  8. court — for sport
  9. bound — certain
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. tube — a container
  12. root — of a word
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. plane — a tool
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. root — of a plant
  17. court — of a king
  18. last — finally
  19. last — final
  20. bound — obliged
  21. court — of law
  22. tube — the underground
  23. mine — for digging
  24. bound — tied together

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