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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. game — a match
  4. band — a ring
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. content — the amount
  7. plane — a tool
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. game — wild animals
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. prune — to trim
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. content — happy
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. stand — to bear
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. band — a music group
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. mark — a trace
  24. prune — to trim

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