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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. prune — to trim
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. bank — for money
  7. pop — to visit
  8. pop — soda
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. bank — for money
  12. file — a line of people
  13. fork — in a road
  14. pop — music
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. file — a document
  17. bank — of a river
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. mark — a grade
  21. file — a tool
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. prune — to trim
  24. mark — a trace

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