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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. plane — a tool
  3. fall — the season
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. tear — from crying
  7. root — of a word
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. fall — to drop
  10. tear — to rip
  11. prune — to trim
  12. prune — to trim
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. fall — to drop
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. tear — from crying
  18. root — the cause
  19. root — of a plant
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. foot — a measure
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. branch — a division

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