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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: lean · sharp · pop · prune · kid · tube · track · fork

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. fork — in a road
  6. kid — child
  7. lean — thin
  8. tube — the underground
  9. track — a path
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. track — a song
  12. prune — to trim
  13. track — to keep track
  14. tube — a container
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. lean — to bend
  17. pop — music
  18. kid — to tease
  19. pop — soda
  20. pop — to visit
  21. sharp — clever
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. sharp — with an edge

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