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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: craft · plane · straw · cue · bark · prune · lean · track

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. cue — for pool
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. track — to keep track
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. plane — a tool
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. craft — a skill
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. prune — to trim
  12. lean — thin
  13. lean — to bend
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. craft — boats
  16. track — a path
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. cue — a signal
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. track — a song
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. bark — to shout
  23. cue — a hint
  24. plane — in geometry

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