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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.

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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: fork · present · saw · bay · pit · hand · prune · craft

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. hand — help
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. prune — to trim
  5. pit — in a race
  6. saw — the tool
  7. prune — to trim
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. present — there
  10. saw — the tool
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. hand — in cards
  15. present — a gift
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. pit — a hole
  19. craft — a skill
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. fork — in a road
  23. craft — boats
  24. present — the time now

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