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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: bark · pit · fork · rush · kid · tube · ground · prune

  1. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. pit — in a race
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. tube — the underground
  8. ground — crushed
  9. bark — to shout
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. ground — the earth
  14. rush — hurry
  15. tube — a container
  16. ground — a position
  17. kid — to tease
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. prune — to trim
  20. kid — child
  21. prune — to trim
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. pit — a hole
  24. fork — a garden tool

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