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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: bat · prune · tube · bark · racket · clip · fork · stick

  1. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. bark — to shout
  6. tube — the underground
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. prune — to trim
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. clip — a video
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. clip — to cut
  16. prune — to trim
  17. bat — the animal
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. tube — a container
  21. clip — for paper
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. bat — in an idiom

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