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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: cell · rash · prune · plane · staff · ground · present · season

  1. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  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. cell — in biology
  3. staff — employees
  4. present — the time now
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. present — there
  8. season — of the year
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. present — a gift
  11. cell — a phone
  12. prune — to trim
  13. staff — a stick
  14. prune — to trim
  15. ground — a position
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. ground — crushed
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. rash — hasty
  20. ground — the earth
  21. season — in sport
  22. staff — employees
  23. rash — a series
  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