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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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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: tear · prune · cue · arm · chest · root · mark · plane

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. tear — to rip
  3. prune — to trim
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. tear — from crying
  8. chest — of your body
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. chest — of your body
  12. plane — a tool
  13. mark — a trace
  14. cue — for pool
  15. root — of a word
  16. mark — a grade
  17. cue — a hint
  18. root — the cause
  19. cue — a signal
  20. chest — a box
  21. root — of a plant
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. prune — to trim

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