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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. root — of a plant
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. ground — crushed
  5. root — the cause
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. file — a line of people
  9. file — a tool
  10. plane — a tool
  11. pound — a weight
  12. face — to confront
  13. field — farmland
  14. ground — the earth
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. roll — a list
  17. field — for sport
  18. file — a document
  19. field — a subject
  20. root — of a word
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. roll — a cake
  23. face — part of the head
  24. face — to point toward

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