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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. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. bass — the fish
  3. march — the month
  4. prune — to trim
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. march — the month
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. pound — a weight
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. drill — army training
  13. drill — a practice
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. march — music
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. prune — to trim
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. bass — low music
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. stem — to come from
  24. drill — the 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