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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: rest · prune · plane · fork · fine · temple · jam · land

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. prune — to trim
  5. fork — in a road
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. rest — what's left
  9. land — a country
  10. plane — a tool
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. land — ground
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. rest — what's left
  16. rest — a break
  17. fine — high quality
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. land — to come down
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. fine — all right

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