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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. root — the cause
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. root — of a plant
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. root — of a word
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. mine — for digging
  11. plane — a tool
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. scale — size or range
  19. wound — an injury
  20. saw — the tool
  21. wound — an injury
  22. saw — the tool
  23. scale — in music
  24. mine — an explosive

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