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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · game · mate · plane · current · kid · face · fall

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. prune — to trim
  3. kid — child
  4. plane — a tool
  5. mate — a partner
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. current — of water
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. current — happening now
  10. fall — to drop
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. face — part of the head
  13. game — a match
  14. fall — to drop
  15. face — to point toward
  16. face — to confront
  17. current — electric
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. game — wild animals
  20. prune — to trim
  21. mate — a friend
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. kid — to tease
  24. fall — the season

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