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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. mark — a grade
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. march — music
  7. mark — a trace
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. prune — to trim
  10. chip — for betting
  11. prune — to trim
  12. wake — a trail
  13. band — a ring
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. band — a music group
  16. chip — to eat
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. march — the month
  19. bulb — for light
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. bark — to shout
  22. bulb — for light
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. march — the month

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