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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: root · plane · march · pit · spell · kid · branch · wound

  1. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. root — of a word
  3. wound — an injury
  4. wound — an injury
  5. march — the month
  6. kid — child
  7. root — of a plant
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. spell — magic
  10. root — the cause
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. kid — to tease
  15. march — music
  16. pit — a hole
  17. march — the month
  18. spell — letters
  19. branch — a division
  20. plane — a tool
  21. spell — a short time
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. branch — of a bank

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