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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. prune — to trim
  7. bear — the animal
  8. bear — the animal
  9. branch — a division
  10. mark — a trace
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. rash — hasty
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. fork — in a road
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. rash — a series
  21. prune — to trim
  22. scale — in music
  23. mark — a grade
  24. scale — size or range

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