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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.

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: present · spring · prune · cue · land · mouse · fork · plane

  1. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. present — the time now
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. cue — a signal
  7. fork — in a road
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. cue — a hint
  10. present — a gift
  11. spring — the season
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. land — a country
  14. prune — to trim
  15. plane — a tool
  16. present — there
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. land — to come down
  20. prune — to trim
  21. spring — a coil
  22. land — ground
  23. cue — for pool
  24. spring — of water

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