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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 120 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: spell · perch · plane · face · deal · row · prune · board

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. face — to confront
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. spell — a short time
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. board — a committee
  11. row — a line
  12. board — to get on
  13. perch — the fish
  14. face — part of the head
  15. row — to paddle
  16. prune — to trim
  17. face — to point toward
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. spell — magic
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. spell — letters
  22. deal — to handle
  23. plane — a tool
  24. row — a quarrel

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