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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 band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. spring — the season
  4. root — the cause
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. march — the month
  8. spell — letters
  9. root — of a word
  10. march — the month
  11. clip — a video
  12. clip — for paper
  13. current — electric
  14. spell — a short time
  15. clip — to cut
  16. plane — a tool
  17. current — of water
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. root — of a plant
  20. spring — a coil
  21. spell — magic
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. spring — of water
  24. current — happening now

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