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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 120 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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. prune — to trim
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. foot — a measure
  6. cue — a hint
  7. bear — the animal
  8. row — a line
  9. lean — to bend
  10. row — to paddle
  11. prune — to trim
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. cue — for pool
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. lean — thin
  18. band — a ring
  19. cue — a signal
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. fork — in a road
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. band — a music group
  24. bear — the animal

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