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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: court · bear · cue · deal · prune · spell · current · fork

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. current — of water
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. deal — to handle
  5. prune — to trim
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. court — of a king
  8. bear — the animal
  9. cue — a signal
  10. spell — letters
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. spell — a short time
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. cue — for pool
  15. court — of law
  16. fork — in a road
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. prune — to trim
  19. cue — a hint
  20. current — electric
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. spell — magic
  23. bear — the animal
  24. current — happening now

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