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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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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: craft · plane · roll · foot · root · pitch · perch · club

  1. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. club — for dancing
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. craft — a skill
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. roll — a cake
  7. craft — boats
  8. root — of a plant
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. club — for golf
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. club — a group
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. perch — the fish
  18. roll — a list
  19. foot — a measure
  20. root — of a word
  21. plane — a tool
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. pitch — completely
  24. root — the cause

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