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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: hand · deal · kid · pitcher · band · root · plane · bank

  1. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. hand — help
  3. bank — for money
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. hand — in cards
  7. root — of a word
  8. deal — to handle
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. root — the cause
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. kid — to tease
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. kid — child
  17. band — a ring
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. band — a music group
  20. bank — of a river
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. plane — a tool
  23. bank — for money
  24. pitcher — a jug

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