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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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. mate — to breed
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. clip — for paper
  6. bulb — for light
  7. clip — a video
  8. bulb — for light
  9. branch — a division
  10. clip — to cut
  11. root — of a plant
  12. ground — the earth
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. mate — a friend
  15. root — of a word
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. ground — crushed
  20. cell — a phone
  21. cell — in biology
  22. mate — a partner
  23. root — the cause
  24. ground — a position

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