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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. bark — to shout
  4. mark — a trace
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. roll — a cake
  7. prune — to trim
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. craft — a skill
  11. fork — in a road
  12. content — the amount
  13. prune — to trim
  14. rule — a law
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. mark — a grade
  18. craft — boats
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. content — happy
  22. rule — government
  23. roll — a list
  24. prune — the fruit

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