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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.

Make a worksheet

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: leaves · hand · prune · object · current · chair · fork · lie

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. current — of water
  3. lie — to recline
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. current — electric
  6. chair — a leader
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. fork — in a road
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. prune — to trim
  13. object — to protest
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. hand — in cards
  19. object — a thing
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. object — an aim
  22. prune — to trim
  23. current — happening now
  24. lie — an untruth

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