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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. club — for dancing
  3. prune — to trim
  4. present — a gift
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. bore — to drill
  7. club — a group
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. last — finally
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. last — final
  12. chair — a leader
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. present — the time now
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. plane — a tool
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. bore — to tire
  20. present — there
  21. stem — to come from
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. club — for golf
  24. last — to go on

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