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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.

Words on the sheet
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: last · file · bark · capital · perch · row · current · prune

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. file — a tool
  3. capital — money
  4. perch — the fish
  5. file — a line of people
  6. last — to go on
  7. prune — to trim
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. current — electric
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. current — happening now
  13. last — final
  14. row — a line
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. current — of water
  17. row — to paddle
  18. file — a document
  19. last — finally
  20. prune — to trim
  21. capital — a city
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. bark — of a tree

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