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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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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: bass · prune · deal · chair · craft · rest · leaves · bark

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. craft — a skill
  3. deal — to handle
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. rest — what's left
  11. prune — to trim
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. chair — a leader
  14. bark — to shout
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. bass — the fish
  17. rest — what's left
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. craft — boats
  21. bass — low music
  22. rest — a break
  23. bass — the instrument
  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