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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 kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. club — for dancing
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. ball — a dance
  5. club — for golf
  6. game — a match
  7. spring — of water
  8. spring — a coil
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. spring — the season
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. root — of a word
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. game — wild animals
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. plane — a tool
  17. branch — a division
  18. root — the cause
  19. ball — a great time
  20. club — a group
  21. root — of a plant
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. snap — to click
  24. game — a kind of play

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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