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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: prune · file · stick · can · stem · bat · fork · roll

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. can — a tin
  4. roll — a list
  5. file — a document
  6. prune — to trim
  7. file — a line of people
  8. fork — in a road
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. can — a tin
  16. can — to be able to
  17. bat — the animal
  18. stem — to come from
  19. prune — to trim
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. file — a tool
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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