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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: saw · leaves · net · root · plane · band · face · trunk

  1. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  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. plane — an aircraft
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. band — a ring
  5. net — after costs
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. saw — the tool
  8. root — of a plant
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. root — of a word
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. band — a music group
  14. face — part of the head
  15. root — the cause
  16. plane — a tool
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. net — for catching
  19. saw — the tool
  20. face — to point toward
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. net — in sport
  23. face — to confront
  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