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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: date · rush · plane · nail · root · fall · rock · bat

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. fall — to drop
  5. fall — the season
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. rock — a stone
  10. bat — the animal
  11. root — the cause
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. rush — hurry
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. fall — to drop
  18. plane — a tool
  19. date — the fruit
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. root — of a word
  23. root — of a plant
  24. rush — to hurry

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