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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: clip · saw · prune · firm · sharp · bark · key · fork

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. clip — a video
  4. key — for a lock
  5. clip — to cut
  6. saw — the tool
  7. bark — to shout
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. firm — steady
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. saw — the tool
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. prune — to trim
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. prune — to trim
  18. sharp — clever
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. clip — for paper
  21. key — in music
  22. firm — decided
  23. fork — in a road
  24. key — the most important part

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