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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: file · pop · root · race · lean · cell · club · plane

  1. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. root — of a word
  3. club — for golf
  4. race — a contest
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. cell — a phone
  7. pop — to visit
  8. pop — music
  9. lean — thin
  10. file — a line of people
  11. file — a tool
  12. cell — in biology
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. pop — soda
  15. club — a group
  16. lean — to bend
  17. file — a document
  18. race — humankind
  19. root — of a plant
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. club — for dancing
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. race — the arms race
  24. root — the cause

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