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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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Word bank
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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: fork · tear · dip · cell · prune · bank

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. tear — to rip
  3. dip — to sink
  4. cell — in biology
  5. fork — in a road
  6. bank — for money
  7. prune — to trim
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. bank — of a river
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. bank — for money
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. cell — a phone
  16. tear — from crying
  17. tear — from crying
  18. prune — to trim

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