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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 · drill · prune · firm · stem · season · present · bound

  1. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. stem — to come from
  3. prune — to trim
  4. present — a gift
  5. plane — a tool
  6. drill — army training
  7. firm — a company
  8. drill — the tool
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. bound — certain
  11. drill — a practice
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. bound — tied together
  17. present — the time now
  18. firm — steady
  19. season — of the year
  20. present — there
  21. bound — obliged
  22. prune — to trim
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. season — in sport

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