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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. stem — to come from
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. face — to point toward
  8. face — to confront
  9. tear — from crying
  10. bark — to shout
  11. face — part of the head
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. chair — a leader
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. tear — from crying
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. prune — to trim
  23. tear — to rip
  24. racket — for tennis

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