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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: sharp · game · branch · tear · plane · bay · root · last

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. last — finally
  4. game — a match
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. root — of a word
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. tear — from crying
  9. tear — to rip
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. tear — from crying
  12. last — final
  13. plane — a tool
  14. last — to go on
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. branch — a division
  18. sharp — clever
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. root — of a plant
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. root — the cause
  23. game — wild animals
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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