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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 120 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 lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. root — the cause
  4. plane — a tool
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. bulb — for light
  9. wind — moving air
  10. root — of a plant
  11. chest — of your body
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. stock — shares
  16. wind — moving air
  17. row — to paddle
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. bulb — for light
  20. chest — of your body
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. root — of a word
  23. stock — goods
  24. row — a line

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