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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: plane · present · pitcher · saw · file · spring · drill · prune

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. spring — a coil
  3. present — the time now
  4. drill — the tool
  5. prune — to trim
  6. present — a gift
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. plane — a tool
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. file — a document
  11. drill — a practice
  12. drill — army training
  13. spring — of water
  14. file — a tool
  15. file — a line of people
  16. saw — the tool
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. saw — the tool
  23. spring — the season
  24. present — there

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