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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: mark · stick · nail · prune · squash · net · fork · clip

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. squash — the sport
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. prune — to trim
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. net — for catching
  8. net — in sport
  9. mark — a trace
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. clip — for paper
  14. mark — a grade
  15. net — after costs
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. fork — in a road
  20. prune — to trim
  21. squash — to crush
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. clip — a video
  24. clip — to cut

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