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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 don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. stem — to come from
  3. pitch — completely
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. prune — to trim
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. net — for catching
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. prune — to trim
  10. ball — a dance
  11. plane — a tool
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. net — after costs
  20. ball — a great time
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. net — in sport
  24. cabinet — ministers

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