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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.

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: plane · kid · pass · mug · pitcher · prune · row · leaves

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  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. kid — child
  2. row — to paddle
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. pass — a permit
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. prune — to trim
  8. row — a line
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. kid — to tease
  11. mug — to rob
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. prune — to trim
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. mug — a cup
  17. mug — a face
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. pitcher — a jug
  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