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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: kick · prune · bulb · mine · pop · bark

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. bulb — for light
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. prune — to trim
  7. pop — music
  8. bark — to shout
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. prune — to trim
  12. kick — in football
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. pop — soda
  16. bulb — for light
  17. pop — to visit
  18. mine — for digging

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