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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. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. file — a tool
  3. prune — to trim
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. ground — crushed
  8. file — a line of people
  9. file — a document
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. ground — the earth
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. prune — to trim
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. last — final
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. ground — a position
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. stem — to come from
  23. last — to go on
  24. last — finally

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