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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: plane · row · land · suit · rule · tear · club · root

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. club — a group
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. plane — a tool
  5. suit — clothes
  6. suit — in cards
  7. suit — to fit
  8. land — ground
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. land — a country
  11. rule — a law
  12. land — to come down
  13. tear — from crying
  14. row — a line
  15. club — for dancing
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. root — the cause
  18. root — of a plant
  19. tear — to rip
  20. tear — from crying
  21. rule — government
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. row — to paddle
  24. club — for golf

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