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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. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. last — to go on
  3. plane — a tool
  4. capital — a city
  5. prune — to trim
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. board — a committee
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. prune — to trim
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. capital — money
  12. last — finally
  13. cell — in biology
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. track — a path
  16. board — to get on
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. last — final
  20. cell — a phone
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. track — to keep track
  23. track — a song
  24. prune — the fruit

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