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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: prune · coach · arm · spring · fork · fan · last · stick

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. spring — of water
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. prune — to trim
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. last — finally
  14. last — to go on
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. fork — in a road
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. last — final
  21. spring — the season
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. spring — a coil
  24. arm — a part of something

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