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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: prune · chest · bark · can · drill · fork · current · rest

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. drill — the tool
  3. bark — to shout
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. fork — in a road
  6. rest — what's left
  7. rest — what's left
  8. rest — a break
  9. can — a tin
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. chest — of your body
  13. drill — a practice
  14. current — of water
  15. chest — of your body
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. prune — to trim
  18. current — electric
  19. can — a tin
  20. prune — to trim
  21. drill — army training
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. chest — a box
  24. current — happening 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