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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: kid · saw · root · bowl · plane · rush · cap · swing

  1. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. saw — the tool
  6. cap — of ice
  7. kid — to tease
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. swing — to play on
  10. swing — music
  11. cap — a lid
  12. root — of a word
  13. cap — a hat
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. plane — a tool
  16. kid — child
  17. rush — hurry
  18. swing — in golf
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. root — the cause
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. saw — the tool
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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