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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: fork · clip · prune · temple · coach · stock · ruler · ground

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. stock — shares
  4. ground — a position
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. prune — to trim
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. clip — a video
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. ground — the earth
  13. clip — for paper
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. ground — crushed
  19. clip — to cut
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. fork — in a road
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. stock — goods
  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