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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bear · stand · cold · trunk · plane · spell · club · prune

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. cold — an illness
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. club — for golf
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. club — a group
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. bear — the animal
  12. cold — not warm
  13. club — for dancing
  14. bear — the animal
  15. spell — a short time
  16. prune — to trim
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. spell — letters
  19. plane — a tool
  20. stand — to bear
  21. spell — magic
  22. prune — to trim
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. cold — the Cold War

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