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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: object · foot · pound · file · wave · prune · race · fork

  1. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. file — a line of people
  5. object — an aim
  6. foot — a measure
  7. object — to protest
  8. race — the arms race
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. prune — to trim
  11. pound — a weight
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. object — a thing
  14. race — a contest
  15. file — a document
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. file — a tool
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. prune — to trim
  24. race — humankind

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