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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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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 · dip · face · racket · suit · pop · sharp · plane

  1. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. prune — to trim
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. dip — to sink
  7. face — to confront
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. pop — soda
  10. suit — to fit
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. pop — music
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. suit — clothes
  15. face — to point toward
  16. prune — to trim
  17. suit — in cards
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. sharp — clever
  20. pop — to visit
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. plane — a tool
  24. face — part of the head

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