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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. last — finally
  3. object — a thing
  4. cue — for pool
  5. bark — to shout
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. capital — money
  8. object — an aim
  9. capital — a city
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. plane — a tool
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. prune — to trim
  15. drill — army training
  16. cue — a hint
  17. last — to go on
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. drill — a practice
  20. drill — the tool
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. last — final
  23. cue — a signal
  24. object — to protest

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