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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. tear — from crying
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. face — to confront
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. face — to point toward
  7. charge — electricity
  8. march — the month
  9. squash — the sport
  10. charge — in control
  11. tear — from crying
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. plane — a tool
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. prune — to trim
  16. tear — to rip
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. charge — a price
  19. march — music
  20. march — the month
  21. face — part of the head
  22. rush — hurry
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. squash — to crush

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