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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · craft · roll · scale · wound · land · band · prune

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. craft — a skill
  3. prune — to trim
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. band — a ring
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. roll — a cake
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. craft — boats
  14. fork — in a road
  15. scale — size or range
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. roll — a list
  18. wound — an injury
  19. land — a country
  20. scale — in music
  21. band — a music group
  22. wound — an injury
  23. prune — to trim
  24. land — ground

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