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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: prune · rash · stem · game · plane · track · land · kick

  1. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. rash — hasty
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. land — a country
  5. kick — in football
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. prune — to trim
  8. game — a match
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. track — a path
  11. land — to come down
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. track — a song
  15. stem — to come from
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. rash — a series
  18. prune — to trim
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. track — to keep track
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. land — ground
  23. game — wild animals
  24. kick — with a leg

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