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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: ground · rush · last · bear · fork · prune · mark · coach

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. bear — the animal
  4. ground — a position
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. bear — the animal
  7. prune — to trim
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. last — final
  11. fork — in a road
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. prune — to trim
  14. ground — the earth
  15. mark — a grade
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. mark — a trace
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. ground — crushed
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. rush — hurry
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. last — to go on

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