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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: plane · last · hand · lean · rock · prune · rule · date

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. hand — in cards
  4. prune — to trim
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. rock — a stone
  7. lean — thin
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. plane — a tool
  11. prune — to trim
  12. rule — a law
  13. last — to go on
  14. last — finally
  15. rule — government
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. lean — to bend
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. last — final
  21. date — the fruit
  22. rock — music
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. hand — help

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