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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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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: jam · tear · root · prune · track · fork · arm · patient

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. fork — in a road
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. prune — to trim
  6. root — of a word
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. track — a song
  12. prune — to trim
  13. track — to keep track
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. tear — to rip
  17. tear — from crying
  18. root — the cause
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. track — a path
  22. tear — from crying
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. root — of a plant

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