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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. root — of a word
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. root — the cause
  6. wound — an injury
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. file — a line of people
  9. pound — a weight
  10. season — of the year
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. plane — a tool
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. file — a tool
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. wound — an injury
  21. root — of a plant
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. file — a document
  24. vault — a safe

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