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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: staff · pit · stand · bat · kid · can · prune · fork

  1. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. can — to be able to
  3. kid — child
  4. can — a tin
  5. staff — a stick
  6. stand — to bear
  7. kid — to tease
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. bat — the animal
  13. staff — employees
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. pit — in a race
  17. prune — to trim
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. staff — employees
  21. pit — a hole
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. prune — to trim
  24. can — a tin

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