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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 120 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
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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: present · ball · scale · craft · clip · fork · stock · prune

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. craft — boats
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. clip — to cut
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. stock — goods
  7. fork — in a road
  8. prune — to trim
  9. present — a gift
  10. scale — in music
  11. ball — a dance
  12. scale — size or range
  13. present — there
  14. present — the time now
  15. ball — a great time
  16. clip — a video
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. prune — to trim
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. clip — for paper
  23. stock — shares
  24. craft — a skill

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