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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 120 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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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: object · tear · fork · march · chip · club · coach · prune

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. march — the month
  6. chip — to eat
  7. club — for dancing
  8. club — for golf
  9. fork — in a road
  10. prune — to trim
  11. club — a group
  12. object — a thing
  13. tear — from crying
  14. object — an aim
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. tear — to rip
  17. march — music
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. chip — for betting
  21. object — to protest
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. march — the month
  24. tear — from crying

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