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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: row · ruler · prune · fork · present · stem

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. stem — to come from
  3. present — the time now
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. fork — in a road
  6. prune — to trim
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. prune — to trim
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. present — there
  11. row — to paddle
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. row — a line
  18. ruler — for measuring

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