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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 116 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: pit · fork · prune · mark · rest · pop · calf · mine

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. prune — to trim
  3. rest — what's left
  4. mark — a grade
  5. pop — to visit
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. pop — music
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. pit — in a race
  12. mine — for digging
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. prune — to trim
  16. pop — soda
  17. fork — in a road
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. pit — a hole
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. rest — what's left
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. mark — a trace
  24. rest — a break

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