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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. race — humankind
  3. key — the most important part
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. last — final
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. race — a contest
  9. race — the arms race
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. key — for a lock
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. date — the fruit
  14. last — to go on
  15. plane — a tool
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. ground — a position
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. last — finally
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. key — in music
  22. ground — crushed
  23. prune — to trim
  24. ground — the earth

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