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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 116 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: row · band · root · clip · fan · plane · mate · ground

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. mate — to breed
  3. mate — a friend
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. mate — a partner
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. root — the cause
  8. clip — a video
  9. row — to paddle
  10. clip — to cut
  11. ground — crushed
  12. ground — the earth
  13. band — a music group
  14. clip — for paper
  15. band — a ring
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. root — of a word
  18. plane — a tool
  19. row — a line
  20. root — of a plant
  21. ground — a position
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. band — a rubber band

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