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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: fork · row · bound · foot · pass · ground · spell · prune

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. ground — crushed
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. pass — a permit
  5. spell — a short time
  6. fork — in a road
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. spell — letters
  9. ground — the earth
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. bound — obliged
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. prune — to trim
  15. row — to paddle
  16. foot — a measure
  17. bound — tied together
  18. ground — a position
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. prune — to trim
  21. bound — certain
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. spell — magic
  24. row — a line

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