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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. prune — to trim
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. prune — to trim
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. bass — the fish
  10. snap — to click
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. bass — low music
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. mine — for digging
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. bark — to shout
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. foot — a measure
  24. dip — to sink

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