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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 116 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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. deal — to handle
  4. prune — to trim
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. file — a tool
  8. pass — a permit
  9. plane — a tool
  10. object — to protest
  11. cap — of ice
  12. cap — a lid
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. object — a thing
  15. spring — of water
  16. spring — the season
  17. spring — a coil
  18. file — a document
  19. object — an aim
  20. prune — to trim
  21. file — a line of people
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. cap — a hat
  24. plane — an aircraft

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