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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: stick · mine · plane · degree · drill · root · straw · bark

  1. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. root — of a word
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. drill — army training
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. degree — an amount
  12. degree — temperature
  13. bark — to shout
  14. degree — from a university
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. mine — for digging
  17. root — of a plant
  18. drill — the tool
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. drill — a practice
  23. plane — a tool
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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