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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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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 · net · roll · fine · fork · race · rock · clip

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. prune — to trim
  3. fork — in a road
  4. clip — to cut
  5. race — a contest
  6. roll — a cake
  7. roll — a list
  8. race — the arms race
  9. rock — a stone
  10. fine — all right
  11. prune — to trim
  12. net — after costs
  13. fine — high quality
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. clip — a video
  17. net — for catching
  18. rock — music
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. clip — for paper
  22. net — in sport
  23. race — humankind
  24. fine — a penalty

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