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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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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: foot · tube · rash · fall · fork · club · prune · deal

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. fall — to drop
  4. rash — a series
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. prune — to trim
  8. fork — in a road
  9. foot — a measure
  10. club — for golf
  11. club — a group
  12. prune — to trim
  13. deal — to handle
  14. fall — to drop
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. tube — a container
  18. club — for dancing
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. rash — hasty
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. tube — the underground
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. fork — a garden tool

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