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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: perch · fork · mate · pass · plane · prune · straw · cell

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. mate — a partner
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. prune — to trim
  6. cell — in biology
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. pass — a permit
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. plane — a tool
  11. fork — in a road
  12. cell — a phone
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. perch — the fish
  19. prune — to trim
  20. mate — to breed
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. mate — a friend
  24. perch — for a bird

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