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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 ________________ took off on time.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. bank — of a river
  4. mug — a face
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. cell — a phone
  7. mine — for digging
  8. mug — to rob
  9. root — the cause
  10. cell — in biology
  11. root — of a plant
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. bank — for money
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. plane — a tool
  20. pitch — completely
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. bank — for money
  23. mug — a cup
  24. root — of a word

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