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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: fork · rock · prune · clip · suit · club · bat · pitcher

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. fork — in a road
  3. rock — music
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. club — for golf
  6. clip — for paper
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. suit — to fit
  9. prune — to trim
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. prune — to trim
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. club — a group
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. rock — a stone
  17. clip — to cut
  18. club — for dancing
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. suit — in cards
  21. suit — clothes
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. clip — a video
  24. bat — the animal

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