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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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  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. prune — to trim
  2. pound — a weight
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. cell — a phone
  5. ball — a great time
  6. plane — a tool
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. cell — in biology
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. spell — magic
  14. ball — a dance
  15. prune — to trim
  16. spell — letters
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. spell — a short time
  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