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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 116 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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. mark — a grade
  3. plane — a tool
  4. track — a path
  5. last — finally
  6. mine — for digging
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. track — a song
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. track — to keep track
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. last — to go on
  18. fall — the season
  19. fall — to drop
  20. fall — to drop
  21. last — final
  22. prune — to trim
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. mark — a trace

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