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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: row · fork · tube · last · mark · date · content · prune

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. tube — a container
  3. fork — in a road
  4. prune — to trim
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. last — finally
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. date — the fruit
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. last — to go on
  12. tube — the underground
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. mark — a grade
  15. last — final
  16. mark — a trace
  17. content — the amount
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. row — to paddle
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. row — a line
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. content — happy

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