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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: fork · pitcher · date · root · plane · prune · lean · bear

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. plane — a tool
  5. bear — the animal
  6. date — the fruit
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. root — of a plant
  9. lean — to bend
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. prune — to trim
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. root — the cause
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. fork — in a road
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. root — of a word
  20. prune — to trim
  21. bear — the animal
  22. lean — thin
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. fork — to eat with

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