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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: drill · perch · plane · root · current · last · cap · mate

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. cap — a hat
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. mate — a partner
  6. root — of a plant
  7. cap — a lid
  8. perch — the fish
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. drill — army training
  12. current — electric
  13. cap — of ice
  14. drill — the tool
  15. root — the cause
  16. plane — a tool
  17. last — final
  18. current — of water
  19. root — of a word
  20. last — finally
  21. drill — a practice
  22. current — happening now
  23. mate — to breed
  24. mate — a friend

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