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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: stand · fan · pound · bat · swing · plane · root · foot

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. root — the cause
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. swing — in golf
  7. root — of a plant
  8. foot — a measure
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. stand — to bear
  11. swing — to play on
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. pound — a weight
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. root — of a word
  21. swing — music
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. plane — a tool
  24. fan — a supporter

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