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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: fall · bay · chair · fork · mark · field · prune · spell

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. field — for sport
  4. spell — a short time
  5. fall — to drop
  6. mark — a grade
  7. prune — to trim
  8. spell — letters
  9. prune — to trim
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. field — a subject
  12. mark — a trace
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. fall — the season
  15. spell — magic
  16. field — farmland
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. chair — a leader
  21. fork — in a road
  22. fall — to drop
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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