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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: mark · prune · cue · shower · key · tear · fan · fork

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  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. fork — a garden tool
  2. prune — to trim
  3. key — the most important part
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. shower — rain
  6. cue — for pool
  7. shower — to wash
  8. prune — to trim
  9. key — in music
  10. fork — in a road
  11. cue — a hint
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. key — for a lock
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. mark — a trace
  17. tear — from crying
  18. mark — a grade
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. tear — to rip
  21. cue — a signal
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  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