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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
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: plane · pit · rule · wound · track · prune · spring · dip

  1. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. track — a song
  3. spring — a coil
  4. rule — government
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. spring — the season
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. prune — to trim
  10. plane — a tool
  11. pit — a hole
  12. dip — to sink
  13. rule — a law
  14. track — to keep track
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. wound — an injury
  17. spring — of water
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. prune — to trim
  20. wound — an injury
  21. pit — in a race
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. track — a path
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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