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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: club · foot · ruler · saw · fork · prune · drill · band

  1. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  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. foot — the bottom
  2. club — for golf
  3. foot — a measure
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. drill — army training
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. prune — to trim
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. band — a ring
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. club — for dancing
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. drill — the tool
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. saw — the tool
  16. fork — in a road
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. band — a music group
  19. drill — a practice
  20. saw — the tool
  21. club — a group
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. ruler — a monarch
  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