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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: spring · fork · bark · fan · lash · club · mouse · prune

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. fork — in a road
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. spring — the season
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. prune — to trim
  11. spring — a coil
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. prune — to trim
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. club — for golf
  17. club — for dancing
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. club — a group
  21. spring — of water
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. mouse — the animal

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