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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: sharp · fork · spring · wind · racket · leaves · prune · bass

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. sharp — clever
  3. bass — the fish
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. prune — to trim
  7. fork — in a road
  8. spring — a coil
  9. bass — low music
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. prune — to trim
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. spring — the season
  17. wind — moving air
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. spring — of water
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. wind — moving air

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