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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 120 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: spring · pound · wax · root · bear · squash · trunk · plane

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. root — of a plant
  5. squash — to crush
  6. spring — a coil
  7. bear — the animal
  8. spring — the season
  9. pound — a weight
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. spring — of water
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. squash — the sport
  14. root — the cause
  15. wax — to grow
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. plane — a tool
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. root — of a word
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. bear — the animal

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