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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: plane · clip · calf · root · rush · coach · wax · mate

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. root — of a plant
  3. mate — a friend
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. plane — a tool
  8. mate — to breed
  9. rush — hurry
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. clip — a video
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. wax — to grow
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. clip — for paper
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. clip — to cut
  22. root — the cause
  23. root — of a word
  24. coach — a trainer

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