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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: prune · chest · race · jam · racket · patient · cabinet · bark

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. chest — of your body
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. chest — a box
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. bark — to shout
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. prune — to trim
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. race — humankind
  16. race — a contest
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. race — the arms race
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. prune — to trim
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. chest — of your body

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