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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.

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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: mine · lean · ruler · snap · prune · plane · mug · club

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. club — for golf
  3. mug — to rob
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. prune — to trim
  8. mug — a face
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. club — a group
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. mug — a cup
  17. plane — a tool
  18. snap — to click
  19. lean — to bend
  20. lean — thin
  21. club — for dancing
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. mine — for digging

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