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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 · bear · fork · straw · board · spring · file · kick

  1. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. spring — the season
  6. kick — in football
  7. file — a line of people
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. board — a committee
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. spring — a coil
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. prune — to trim
  14. bear — the animal
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. board — to get on
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. bear — the animal
  20. spring — of water
  21. prune — to trim
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. file — a document
  24. file — a tool

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