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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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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: fork · bat · prune · straw · mark · clip · mug · rock

  1. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. prune — to trim
  3. prune — to trim
  4. mug — a face
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. mug — to rob
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. clip — a video
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. clip — to cut
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. mark — a trace
  15. rock — music
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. mark — a grade
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. rock — a stone
  21. mug — a cup
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. clip — for paper
  24. bat — the animal

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