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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. fall — the season
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. fall — to drop
  6. staff — employees
  7. bark — to shout
  8. staff — employees
  9. chest — of your body
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. chest — of your body
  12. band — a ring
  13. chest — a box
  14. staff — a stick
  15. prune — to trim
  16. fall — to drop
  17. stock — shares
  18. content — happy
  19. stock — goods
  20. content — the amount
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. band — a music group
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. prune — to trim

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