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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · kid · plane · spell · root · tube · face · land

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. tube — a container
  4. hand — help
  5. root — the cause
  6. land — a country
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. hand — in cards
  9. spell — letters
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. spell — magic
  12. face — part of the head
  13. root — of a plant
  14. spell — a short time
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. land — ground
  17. land — to come down
  18. root — of a word
  19. face — to point toward
  20. plane — a tool
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. kid — to tease
  23. face — to confront
  24. tube — the underground

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