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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. field — a subject
  3. root — of a word
  4. rule — a law
  5. toast — bread
  6. field — farmland
  7. field — for sport
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. rule — government
  10. deal — to handle
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. plane — a tool
  14. root — of a plant
  15. root — the cause
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. branch — a division
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. branch — of a bank

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