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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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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: toast · prune · plane · spell · hand · wound · chest · rock

  1. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. wound — an injury
  4. prune — to trim
  5. toast — bread
  6. chest — a box
  7. hand — help
  8. spell — magic
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. rock — a stone
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. chest — of your body
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. chest — of your body
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. hand — in cards
  18. prune — to trim
  19. rock — music
  20. spell — a short time
  21. wound — an injury
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. spell — letters

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