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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 116 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: sharp · straw · bound · tube · leaves · prune · spell · bark

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. prune — to trim
  4. bound — tied together
  5. spell — a short time
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. spell — magic
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. tube — the underground
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. prune — to trim
  15. bark — to shout
  16. spell — letters
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. tube — a container
  21. bound — obliged
  22. bound — certain
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. straw — dry grass

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