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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. club — for dancing
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. club — for golf
  6. dip — to sink
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. plane — a tool
  9. saw — the tool
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. saw — the tool
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. prune — to trim
  16. band — a music group
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. stem — to come from
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. club — a group
  22. band — a ring
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. prune — to trim

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