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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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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: stem · bound · pop · club · stick · prune · clip · fork

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. pop — to visit
  4. club — for golf
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. bound — obliged
  9. fork — in a road
  10. stem — to come from
  11. clip — a video
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. clip — to cut
  16. club — a group
  17. bound — certain
  18. prune — to trim
  19. pop — music
  20. prune — to trim
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. clip — for paper
  23. bound — tied together
  24. club — for dancing

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