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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.

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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. present — a gift
  5. fine — all right
  6. present — there
  7. land — a country
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. plane — a tool
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. prune — to trim
  12. prune — to trim
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. squash — to crush
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. bark — to shout
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. present — the time now
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. land — ground
  23. fine — high quality
  24. land — to come down

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