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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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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: march · spell · plane · pound · squash · chip · prune · mate

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. spell — a short time
  4. mate — to breed
  5. squash — the sport
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. chip — to eat
  10. march — the month
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. prune — to trim
  13. prune — to trim
  14. chip — for betting
  15. spell — letters
  16. spell — magic
  17. mate — a partner
  18. pound — a weight
  19. squash — to crush
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. mate — a friend
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. march — music
  24. plane — a tool

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