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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: ball · straw · rest · fork · plane · date · prune · mark

  1. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  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. plane — an aircraft
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. rest — what's left
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. ball — a great time
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. prune — to trim
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. ball — a dance
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. rest — what's left
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. rest — a break
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. mark — a trace
  19. fork — in a road
  20. prune — to trim
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. date — the fruit
  23. mark — a grade
  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