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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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. suit — in cards
  4. scale — in music
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. band — a ring
  11. tear — from crying
  12. tear — to rip
  13. squash — to crush
  14. prune — to trim
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. wake — a trail
  17. tear — from crying
  18. scale — size or range
  19. band — a music group
  20. suit — clothes
  21. squash — the sport
  22. bark — to shout
  23. prune — to trim
  24. suit — to fit

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