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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: drill · prune · bark · degree · bound · fork · craft · cue

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. prune — to trim
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. drill — the tool
  5. bound — certain
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. bound — obliged
  8. degree — temperature
  9. craft — a skill
  10. cue — a signal
  11. fork — in a road
  12. drill — army training
  13. bark — to shout
  14. drill — a practice
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. cue — for pool
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. bound — tied together
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. cue — a hint
  21. craft — boats
  22. prune — to trim
  23. degree — from a university
  24. degree — an amount

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