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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: leaves · prune · ground · plane · land · straw · bank · calf

  1. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. prune — to trim
  3. bank — of a river
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. land — ground
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. prune — to trim
  8. bank — for money
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. land — to come down
  15. land — a country
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. ground — the earth
  18. ground — a position
  19. bank — for money
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. ground — crushed
  23. plane — a tool
  24. leaves — of a tree

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