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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
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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: ground · march · net · hand · root · race · plane · leaves

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. net — after costs
  3. race — a contest
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. ground — the earth
  7. net — for catching
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. ground — a position
  10. root — of a word
  11. march — the month
  12. root — the cause
  13. plane — a tool
  14. march — music
  15. ground — crushed
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. march — the month
  18. race — the arms race
  19. net — in sport
  20. race — humankind
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. root — of a plant
  24. hand — help

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