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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: bat · mark · mine · plane · straw · rush · prune · present

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. present — the time now
  3. bat — the animal
  4. plane — a tool
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. present — a gift
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. mark — a grade
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. mine — for digging
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. present — there
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. rush — hurry
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. mark — a trace
  21. prune — to trim
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. prune — to trim
  24. rush — to hurry

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