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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bark · wake · mine · branch · bowl · lash · prune · rash

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. prune — to trim
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. prune — to trim
  6. rash — hasty
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. branch — a division
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. wake — a trail
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. rash — a series
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. bark — to shout
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. mine — for digging
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. wake — before a funeral

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