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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 120 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 · root · arm · march · spring · rush · mark · tube

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. tube — the underground
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. spring — of water
  9. mark — a trace
  10. root — of a plant
  11. plane — a tool
  12. spring — a coil
  13. root — the cause
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. march — music
  16. rush — hurry
  17. tube — a container
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. march — the month
  20. mark — a grade
  21. root — of a word
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. spring — the season
  24. arm — part of the body

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