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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: straw · march · file · present · racket · lean · root · plane

  1. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. march — music
  5. file — a line of people
  6. root — of a plant
  7. root — the cause
  8. present — there
  9. present — the time now
  10. root — of a word
  11. march — the month
  12. plane — a tool
  13. lean — thin
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. march — the month
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. lean — to bend
  18. file — a tool
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. file — a document
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. present — a gift

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