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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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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 · saw · roll · lash · cap · prune · patient · content

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  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. bark — a dog's sound
  2. saw — the tool
  3. bark — to shout
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. roll — a cake
  7. saw — the tool
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. content — the amount
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. prune — to trim
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. cap — of ice
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. content — happy
  17. roll — a list
  18. cap — a hat
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. cap — a lid
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. prune — the fruit
  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