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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.

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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 · temple · prune · rash · chest · stick · club · deal

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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. club — for golf
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. chest — a box
  7. rash — hasty
  8. bark — to shout
  9. chest — of your body
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. deal — to handle
  14. club — a group
  15. chest — of your body
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. rash — a series
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. club — for dancing
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. prune — to trim

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