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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: rest · toast · cap · file · spring · wake · root · plane

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. wake — a trail
  3. spring — the season
  4. spring — a coil
  5. plane — a tool
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. spring — of water
  9. cap — a hat
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. file — a document
  12. root — of a word
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. root — of a plant
  15. rest — what's left
  16. cap — of ice
  17. rest — a break
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. cap — a lid
  20. rest — what's left
  21. file — a line of people
  22. root — the cause
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. toast — bread

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