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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. prune — to trim
  5. staff — a stick
  6. staff — employees
  7. fork — in a road
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. net — after costs
  11. rock — a stone
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. rock — music
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. prune — to trim
  18. staff — employees
  19. net — in sport
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. wake — a trail
  22. chair — a leader
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. net — for catching

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