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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: leaves · pop · plane · bat · root · squash · cell · sharp

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. plane — a tool
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. bat — the animal
  10. root — of a word
  11. cell — a phone
  12. squash — the sport
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. sharp — clever
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. cell — in biology
  18. pop — to visit
  19. root — the cause
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. root — of a plant
  22. pop — music
  23. pop — soda
  24. sharp — with an edge

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