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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 soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. club — for dancing
  3. root — of a word
  4. spell — a short time
  5. last — finally
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. spell — letters
  8. root — of a plant
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. stem — to come from
  11. last — final
  12. drill — a practice
  13. root — the cause
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. last — to go on
  16. plane — a tool
  17. club — a group
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. bound — obliged
  20. bound — certain
  21. spell — magic
  22. drill — the tool
  23. bound — tied together
  24. club — for golf

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