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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. wind — moving air
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. object — an aim
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. object — a thing
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. chest — a box
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. club — for dancing
  16. chest — of your body
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. club — for golf
  19. object — to protest
  20. club — a group
  21. chest — of your body
  22. plane — a tool
  23. prune — to trim
  24. wind — moving air

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