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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: bark · prune · ball · rush · staff · pop · fork · branch

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. ball — a great time
  5. staff — a stick
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. staff — employees
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. prune — to trim
  11. pop — soda
  12. fork — in a road
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. pop — music
  16. bark — to shout
  17. prune — to trim
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. branch — a division
  20. staff — employees
  21. rush — hurry
  22. pop — to visit
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. fork — a garden tool

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