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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. bulb — for light
  7. prune — to trim
  8. stem — to come from
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. net — for catching
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. bulb — for light
  14. prune — to trim
  15. net — after costs
  16. plane — a tool
  17. sharp — clever
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. net — in sport
  20. file — a line of people
  21. file — a tool
  22. file — a document
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. trunk — of a car

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