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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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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: pit · stick · hand · lash · content · march · prune · fork

  1. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. hand — in cards
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. content — the amount
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. hand — help
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. march — the month
  12. prune — to trim
  13. march — the month
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. pit — in a race
  18. march — music
  19. pit — a hole
  20. content — happy
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. prune — to trim

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