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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: hand · face · prune · craft · current · fork · bark · bat

  1. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. craft — boats
  4. bat — the animal
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. craft — a skill
  8. hand — help
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. face — to confront
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. current — of water
  15. prune — to trim
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. current — electric
  18. hand — in cards
  19. bark — to shout
  20. face — part of the head
  21. face — to point toward
  22. current — happening now
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. prune — to trim

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