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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: cap · key · root · pop · ground · tear · plane · wake

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. pop — music
  3. plane — a tool
  4. root — of a plant
  5. key — in music
  6. root — the cause
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. cap — of ice
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. root — of a word
  12. pop — soda
  13. cap — a hat
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. cap — a lid
  16. ground — a position
  17. tear — from crying
  18. pop — to visit
  19. key — for a lock
  20. tear — from crying
  21. key — the most important part
  22. wake — a trail
  23. ground — crushed
  24. ground — the earth

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