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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 120 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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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: tear · fork · racket · ruler · capital · key · pound · prune

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. pound — a weight
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. fork — in a road
  6. capital — money
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. capital — a city
  10. key — for a lock
  11. key — the most important part
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. tear — from crying
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. prune — to trim
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. prune — to trim
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. tear — to rip
  23. tear — from crying
  24. key — in music

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