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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 120 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 carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. plane — a tool
  3. land — to come down
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. land — a country
  7. bat — the animal
  8. prune — to trim
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. dip — to sink
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. land — ground

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