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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. foot — a measure
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. game — wild animals
  6. game — a match
  7. bound — certain
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. prune — to trim
  10. date — the fruit
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. prune — to trim
  16. branch — a division
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. fork — in a road
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. bound — obliged
  24. bound — tied together

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