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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. fork — in a road
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. tear — from crying
  7. prune — to trim
  8. swing — music
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. shower — rain
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. tear — from crying
  13. swing — to play on
  14. swing — in golf
  15. tear — to rip
  16. roll — a list
  17. pass — a permit
  18. prune — to trim
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. shower — to wash
  21. roll — a cake
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. prune — the fruit

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