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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. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. fall — to drop
  3. rock — music
  4. ground — crushed
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. root — of a plant
  9. drill — a practice
  10. drill — army training
  11. ground — the earth
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. fall — the season
  15. saw — the tool
  16. drill — the tool
  17. ground — a position
  18. rock — a stone
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. root — of a word
  21. fall — to drop
  22. plane — a tool
  23. saw — the tool
  24. plane — in geometry

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