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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: prune · rock · fork · straw · stock · leaves · craft · wound

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. rock — music
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. craft — a skill
  8. prune — to trim
  9. wound — an injury
  10. craft — boats
  11. stock — goods
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. stock — shares
  15. fork — in a road
  16. rock — a stone
  17. prune — to trim
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. wound — an injury
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. leaves — to go away

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