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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. kick — in football
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. rash — a series
  6. face — to confront
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. drill — a practice
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. tube — a container
  13. prune — to trim
  14. tube — the underground
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. drill — army training
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. rash — hasty
  21. face — part of the head
  22. drill — the tool
  23. face — to point toward
  24. plane — a tool

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