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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: foot · march · board · sharp · fork · hand · prune · bear

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. prune — to trim
  3. board — to get on
  4. march — the month
  5. hand — help
  6. sharp — clever
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. fork — in a road
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. board — a committee
  15. bear — the animal
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. march — music
  18. bear — the animal
  19. foot — a measure
  20. prune — to trim
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. march — the month
  24. hand — in cards

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