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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.

Make a worksheet

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: prune · march · plane · squash · mine · key · shower · lash

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. key — the most important part
  5. prune — to trim
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. squash — the sport
  8. key — in music
  9. prune — to trim
  10. shower — rain
  11. march — music
  12. key — for a lock
  13. shower — to wash
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. squash — to crush
  18. march — the month
  19. march — the month
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. mine — for digging
  24. plane — a tool

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