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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: plane · prune · drill · lie · bat · present · pitcher · mate

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. drill — a practice
  3. drill — army training
  4. present — there
  5. mate — a partner
  6. lie — to recline
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. prune — to trim
  11. plane — a tool
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. prune — to trim
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. present — a gift
  19. mate — a friend
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. bat — the animal
  22. present — the time now
  23. drill — the tool
  24. bat — in an idiom

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