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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: wound · current · arm · prune · mark · wake · fork · pop

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. prune — to trim
  4. pop — soda
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. current — of water
  8. mark — a grade
  9. prune — to trim
  10. current — happening now
  11. fork — in a road
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. wound — an injury
  14. pop — to visit
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. wake — a trail
  18. wound — an injury
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. pop — music
  23. current — electric
  24. mark — a trace

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