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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 116 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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. cold — an illness
  11. snap — to click
  12. prune — to trim
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. board — to get on
  17. board — a committee
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. cold — not warm
  21. prune — to trim
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. branch — a division
  24. bark — to shout

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