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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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. root — of a plant
  3. bore — to drill
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. drill — the tool
  6. drill — army training
  7. root — of a word
  8. face — part of the head
  9. pop — music
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. bore — to tire
  12. bark — to shout
  13. root — the cause
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. drill — a practice
  16. face — to point toward
  17. dip — to sink
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. face — to confront
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. pop — to visit
  23. pop — soda
  24. plane — a tool

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