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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. snap — to click
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. plane — a tool
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. march — the month
  9. root — the cause
  10. drill — army training
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. root — of a word
  13. drill — a practice
  14. rush — hurry
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. drill — the tool
  21. march — the month
  22. root — of a plant
  23. march — music
  24. plane — in geometry

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