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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 116 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 need to ________________ round.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. root — the cause
  3. plane — a tool
  4. pop — soda
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. net — after costs
  8. root — of a word
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. pop — music
  11. object — to protest
  12. last — final
  13. object — a thing
  14. row — to paddle
  15. last — finally
  16. object — an aim
  17. row — a line
  18. last — to go on
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. net — for catching
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. net — in sport
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. root — of a plant

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