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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 · cap · pitch · land · rock · object · root · bear

  1. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. land — to come down
  3. bear — the animal
  4. object — a thing
  5. root — of a word
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. land — ground
  8. object — to protest
  9. rock — music
  10. cap — a lid
  11. rock — a stone
  12. object — an aim
  13. cap — a hat
  14. plane — a tool
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. land — a country
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. bear — the animal
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. cap — of ice
  23. root — the cause
  24. root — of a plant

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