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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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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: straw · prune · net · fork · sharp · ruler · shower · present

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. shower — to wash
  3. present — the time now
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. net — in sport
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. present — there
  10. fork — in a road
  11. sharp — clever
  12. net — for catching
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. net — after costs
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. prune — to trim
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. shower — rain
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. present — a gift
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. prune — to trim

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