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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 120 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: net · plane · straw · stem · prune · mouse · swing · row

  1. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. prune — to trim
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. plane — a tool
  8. swing — to play on
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. net — after costs
  11. row — a line
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. swing — in golf
  14. swing — music
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. row — to paddle
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. net — for catching
  21. net — in sport
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. stem — to come from
  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