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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 didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. plane — a tool
  4. field — a subject
  5. field — farmland
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. prune — to trim
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. drill — the tool
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. wake — a trail
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. drill — army training
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. field — for sport
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. branch — a division
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. drill — a practice
  24. prune — to trim

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