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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.

Make a worksheet

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 · straw · game · kick · fine · wake · leaves · prune

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. kick — in football
  3. prune — to trim
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. game — wild animals
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. fine — all right
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. plane — a tool
  15. prune — to trim
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. fine — high quality
  18. wake — a trail
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. game — a match
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. game — a kind of play

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