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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. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — in geometry
  2. bound — obliged
  3. tear — from crying
  4. root — of a plant
  5. prune — to trim
  6. row — to paddle
  7. root — the cause
  8. bound — certain
  9. plane — a tool
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. root — of a word
  13. wind — moving air
  14. wind — moving air
  15. tear — from crying
  16. row — a line
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. bound — tied together
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. tear — to rip
  23. date — the fruit
  24. prune — to trim

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