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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 116 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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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 · row · pound · cabinet · straw · plane · rash · cell

  1. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  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. plane — a tool
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. pound — a weight
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. row — to paddle
  6. rash — hasty
  7. prune — to trim
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. row — a line
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. rash — a series
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. prune — to trim
  19. cell — in biology
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. cell — a phone
  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