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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 · fine · plane · club · ground · pitcher · row · mark

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  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. row — a quarrel
  2. row — a line
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. ground — crushed
  7. ground — a position
  8. mark — a grade
  9. club — a group
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. fine — high quality
  12. prune — to trim
  13. row — to paddle
  14. fine — all right
  15. prune — to trim
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. club — for golf
  20. ground — the earth
  21. club — for dancing
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. mark — a trace
  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