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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.

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: chip · file · prune · fall · fork · trunk · spring · sharp

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. prune — to trim
  4. fall — the season
  5. file — a line of people
  6. spring — of water
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. fork — in a road
  11. chip — to eat
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. spring — the season
  14. spring — a coil
  15. file — a tool
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. fall — to drop
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. file — a document
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. chip — for betting
  23. prune — to trim
  24. fall — to drop

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