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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. degree — an amount
  3. prune — to trim
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. track — a song
  8. prune — to trim
  9. bear — the animal
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. net — after costs
  12. bear — the animal
  13. track — to keep track
  14. degree — from a university
  15. stem — to come from
  16. net — in sport
  17. stock — shares
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. track — a path
  20. net — for catching
  21. degree — temperature
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. fork — in a road
  24. stock — goods

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