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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: kid · prune · plane · drill · leaves · wake · file · straw

  1. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. kid — to tease
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. drill — a practice
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. prune — to trim
  10. file — a line of people
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. file — a document
  13. wake — a trail
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. drill — the tool
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. file — a tool
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. prune — to trim
  22. kid — child
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. drill — army training

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