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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. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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. band — a music group
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. object — to protest
  8. band — a ring
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. object — a thing
  12. pit — in a race
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. object — an aim
  16. mine — for digging
  17. plane — a tool
  18. root — of a word
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. pit — a hole
  23. root — of a plant
  24. trunk — of a tree

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