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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. rush — hurry
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. object — a thing
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. bass — the fish
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. object — an aim
  11. object — to protest
  12. bear — the animal
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. prune — to trim
  15. bark — to shout
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. bass — low music
  20. bear — the animal
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. rush — a thrill

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