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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: prune · bat · straw · bore · leaves · pound · jam · fork

  1. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. prune — to trim
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. pound — a weight
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. bore — to drill
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. bore — to tire
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. bat — the animal
  22. prune — to trim
  23. fork — in a road
  24. leaves — of a tree

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