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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 120 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. He is an ace ________________.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. board — to get on
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. board — a committee
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. squash — the sport
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. prune — to trim
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. bark — to shout
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. prune — to trim
  20. squash — to crush
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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