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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: clip · bass · pitch · cell · bark · fork · prune · bore

  1. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. cell — a phone
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. prune — to trim
  6. clip — a video
  7. bass — the fish
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. clip — for paper
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. bass — low music
  14. bark — to shout
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. bore — to drill
  17. bore — to tire
  18. clip — to cut
  19. cell — in biology
  20. pitch — completely
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. prune — to trim
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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