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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. bound — tied together
  6. fork — in a road
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. bound — certain
  9. mine — for digging
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. prune — to trim
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. capital — a city
  16. cue — a hint
  17. cue — for pool
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. bound — obliged
  21. cue — a signal
  22. prune — to trim
  23. capital — money
  24. bark — to shout

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