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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. saw — the tool
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. prune — to trim
  11. drill — a practice
  12. prune — to trim
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. saw — the tool
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. drill — army training
  20. drill — the tool
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. plane — a tool
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. snap — to click

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