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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 120 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 had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. root — of a word
  4. tube — a container
  5. row — a line
  6. plane — a tool
  7. root — of a plant
  8. chair — a leader
  9. lie — to recline
  10. foot — a measure
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. tube — the underground
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. wound — an injury
  18. wound — an injury
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. root — the cause
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. row — to paddle

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