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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 · swing · rest · object · pop · spring · game · root

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. object — to protest
  3. spring — the season
  4. plane — a tool
  5. pop — music
  6. root — of a word
  7. pop — soda
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. swing — music
  10. game — wild animals
  11. object — an aim
  12. pop — to visit
  13. rest — what's left
  14. spring — a coil
  15. object — a thing
  16. rest — a break
  17. rest — what's left
  18. root — the cause
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. root — of a plant
  21. game — a match
  22. swing — in golf
  23. spring — of water
  24. plane — in geometry

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