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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: saw · plane · fan · prune · fall · pitcher · charge · last

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. fall — to drop
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. last — final
  5. last — to go on
  6. prune — to trim
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. charge — in control
  10. charge — a price
  11. plane — a tool
  12. prune — to trim
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. last — finally
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. saw — the tool
  18. charge — electricity
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. fall — to drop
  21. saw — the tool
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. fall — the season
  24. pitcher — a jug

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