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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: mug · cue · prune · bark · fork · content · arm · straw

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. mug — to rob
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. mug — a cup
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. mug — a face
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. fork — in a road
  11. bark — to shout
  12. prune — to trim
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. cue — for pool
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. cue — a hint
  20. cue — a signal
  21. prune — to trim
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. content — the amount
  24. content — happy

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