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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. last — to go on
  3. mark — a grade
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. last — final
  6. bass — low music
  7. last — finally
  8. prune — to trim
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. prune — to trim
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. mark — a trace
  18. wind — moving air
  19. wind — moving air
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. bass — the fish
  23. plane — a tool
  24. ruler — for measuring

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