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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: kick · hide · row · bass · key · mate · root · plane

  1. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. key — in music
  5. root — of a word
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. mate — a partner
  8. key — for a lock
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. bass — the fish
  11. bass — low music
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. row — to paddle
  14. root — of a plant
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. mate — a friend
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. key — the most important part
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. root — the cause
  21. row — a line
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. plane — a tool
  24. mate — to breed

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