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

Word bank: plane · temple · bay · chair · root · pound · mug · last

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. chair — a leader
  7. pound — a weight
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. last — to go on
  11. plane — a tool
  12. mug — a cup
  13. mug — to rob
  14. last — final
  15. root — of a word
  16. root — of a plant
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. root — the cause
  21. last — finally
  22. mug — a face
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. temple — a place of worship

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