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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. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. stem — to come from
  6. spell — letters
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. bass — low music
  9. prune — to trim
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. bass — the fish
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. prune — to trim
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. plane — a tool
  16. bat — the animal
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. sharp — clever
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. spell — magic
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. spell — a short time
  24. sharp — with an edge

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