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

Word bank: fork · prune · bear · stand · fall · saw · date · roll

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. fall — the season
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. roll — a cake
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. fork — in a road
  9. date — the fruit
  10. bear — the animal
  11. saw — the tool
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. roll — a list
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. bear — the animal
  16. prune — to trim
  17. fall — to drop
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. saw — the tool
  20. stand — to bear
  21. prune — to trim
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. prune — the fruit

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