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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. ground — the earth
  3. bank — for money
  4. bark — to shout
  5. ground — crushed
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. last — final
  10. ground — a position
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. last — finally
  14. prune — to trim
  15. bank — of a river
  16. pop — music
  17. snap — to click
  18. pop — soda
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. last — to go on
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. pop — to visit
  23. bank — for money
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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