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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 · clip · suit · straw · snap · shower · prune · stand

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. suit — in cards
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. prune — to trim
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. clip — a video
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. shower — rain
  10. stand — to bear
  11. bark — to shout
  12. clip — for paper
  13. suit — clothes
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. suit — to fit
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. shower — to wash
  19. prune — to trim
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. clip — to cut
  22. snap — to click
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. stand — for spectators

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