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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: fork · net · squash · wax · mark · prune · pit · march

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. net — in sport
  6. mark — a grade
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. march — the month
  9. wax — to grow
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. march — the month
  12. march — music
  13. mark — a trace
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. squash — the sport
  16. prune — to trim
  17. pit — a hole
  18. squash — to crush
  19. prune — to trim
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. net — after costs
  22. fork — in a road
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. pit — in a race

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