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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 ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. root — of a plant
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. vault — a safe
  13. cold — not warm
  14. bark — to shout
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. plane — a tool
  18. root — the cause
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. cold — an illness
  21. deal — to handle
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. leaves — lets stay

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