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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.

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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: march · last · root · plane · land · rule · field · object

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. last — finally
  3. root — of a plant
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. land — ground
  6. field — farmland
  7. object — to protest
  8. rule — government
  9. land — a country
  10. field — for sport
  11. rule — a law
  12. land — to come down
  13. root — the cause
  14. plane — a tool
  15. last — to go on
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. object — an aim
  19. march — the month
  20. last — final
  21. root — of a word
  22. march — music
  23. object — a thing
  24. march — the month

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