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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. squash — the sport
  3. prune — to trim
  4. pop — music
  5. plane — a tool
  6. lean — thin
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. net — for catching
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. net — in sport
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. lean — to bend
  13. squash — to crush
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. net — after costs
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. prune — to trim
  18. pop — soda

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