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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: prune · mug · craft · stick · march · plane · mine · wound

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. mug — a face
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. craft — boats
  7. march — the month
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. wound — an injury
  11. march — the month
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. mine — for digging
  14. march — music
  15. prune — to trim
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. craft — a skill
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. mug — to rob
  20. plane — a tool
  21. mug — a cup
  22. wound — an injury
  23. plane — in geometry
  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