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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 cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. mate — a friend
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. squash — to crush
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. can — to be able to
  8. charge — in control
  9. can — a tin
  10. prune — to trim
  11. mate — a partner
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. charge — electricity
  14. mate — to breed
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. saw — the tool
  18. charge — a price
  19. plane — a tool
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. squash — the sport
  22. saw — the tool
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. can — a tin

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