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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: plane · kick · root · saw · stick · nail · roll · court

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. saw — the tool
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. saw — the tool
  6. kick — in football
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. plane — a tool
  11. root — of a plant
  12. court — of a king
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. court — for sport
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. roll — a cake
  17. court — of law
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. root — the cause
  21. roll — a list
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. root — of a word
  24. kick — with a leg

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