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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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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: field · fork · ball · snap · trunk · prune

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. ball — a great time
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. ball — a dance
  5. field — a subject
  6. fork — in a road
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. field — for sport
  10. prune — to trim
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. field — farmland
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. snap — to click
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. snap — to snap out of it

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