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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. plane — a tool
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. club — for golf
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. spell — magic
  9. prune — to trim
  10. spell — a short time
  11. squash — to crush
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. club — a group
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. prune — to trim
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. dip — to sink
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. club — for dancing
  21. squash — the sport
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. squash — the vegetable

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