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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: fork · bat · wave · press · wake · prune · ruler · wound

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. bat — the animal
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. wake — a trail
  5. press — to push
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. press — newspapers
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. wound — an injury
  14. prune — to trim
  15. fork — in a road
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. press — a publisher
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. prune — to trim
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. wound — an injury

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