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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: mark · wave · sharp · prune · bark · hand · fork · degree

  1. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. hand — in cards
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. prune — to trim
  9. degree — temperature
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. degree — from a university
  12. degree — an amount
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. bark — to shout
  15. hand — help
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. mark — a grade
  19. sharp — clever
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. prune — to trim
  22. fork — in a road
  23. mark — a trace
  24. sharp — with an edge

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