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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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. prune — to trim
  3. spell — a short time
  4. prune — to trim
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. fork — in a road
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. spring — a coil
  10. spring — of water
  11. bass — the fish
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. spell — magic
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. roll — a list
  18. roll — a cake
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. bass — low music
  23. spell — letters
  24. spring — 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