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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 116 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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. bark — to shout
  3. prune — to trim
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. key — for a lock
  6. plane — a tool
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. tube — the underground
  9. wake — a trail
  10. face — part of the head
  11. prune — to trim
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. key — in music
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. face — to confront
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. face — to point toward
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. key — the most important part
  24. tube — a container

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