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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 116 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 came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. prune — to trim
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. fall — to drop
  5. stock — shares
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. land — a country
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. prune — to trim
  10. snap — to click
  11. land — to come down
  12. stock — goods
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. fall — to drop
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. land — ground
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. band — a ring
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. band — a music group
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. fall — the season

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