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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
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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 · foot · rash · bat · root · pass · game · trunk

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. pass — a permit
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. game — wild animals
  10. foot — a measure
  11. plane — a tool
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. root — of a plant
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. rash — hasty
  17. bat — the animal
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. root — the cause
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. game — a match
  23. rash — a series
  24. pass — to spend time

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