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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. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. hand — help
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. lean — thin
  8. root — of a plant
  9. dip — to sink
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. hand — in cards
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. root — of a word
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. lean — to bend
  21. cold — an illness
  22. cold — not warm
  23. plane — a tool
  24. cold — the Cold War

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