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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 · prune · cap · root · fall · dip · jam · file

  1. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. prune — to trim
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. root — of a plant
  5. fall — to drop
  6. cap — of ice
  7. file — a line of people
  8. fall — to drop
  9. file — a document
  10. cap — a lid
  11. root — of a word
  12. cap — a hat
  13. file — a tool
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. root — the cause
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. plane — a tool
  19. dip — to sink
  20. fall — the season
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. prune — to trim

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