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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. drill — the tool
  5. stem — to come from
  6. rash — hasty
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. plane — a tool
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. drill — army training
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. rule — a law
  19. rash — a series
  20. wind — moving air
  21. prune — to trim
  22. wind — moving air
  23. drill — a practice
  24. rule — government

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