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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: prune · key · ruler · squash · pop · fork · straw · row

  1. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. key — the most important part
  3. fork — in a road
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. prune — to trim
  7. row — a line
  8. prune — to trim
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. pop — to visit
  11. squash — to crush
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. row — to paddle
  14. pop — music
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. squash — the sport
  19. key — for a lock
  20. pop — soda
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. fork — to eat with

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