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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. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. club — for golf
  3. spring — the season
  4. root — of a plant
  5. cap — of ice
  6. root — the cause
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. spring — a coil
  9. club — for dancing
  10. land — a country
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. land — to come down
  13. last — to go on
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. cap — a hat
  16. spring — of water
  17. land — ground
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. club — a group
  20. sharp — clever
  21. last — finally
  22. cap — a lid
  23. root — of a word
  24. last — final

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