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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. prune — to trim
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. hand — in cards
  5. prune — to trim
  6. suit — in cards
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. hand — help
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. row — to paddle
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. row — a line
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. plane — a tool
  20. mine — for digging
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. suit — clothes
  24. suit — to fit

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