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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: prune · fork · craft · tube · mate · clip · spring · mark

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. spring — the season
  4. prune — to trim
  5. mate — to breed
  6. mate — a partner
  7. mark — a grade
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. clip — a video
  10. spring — of water
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. mark — a trace
  14. spring — a coil
  15. fork — in a road
  16. mate — a friend
  17. prune — to trim
  18. clip — for paper
  19. craft — boats
  20. clip — to cut
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. craft — a skill
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. tube — the underground

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