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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: chair · bark · last · prune · present · fine · leaves · band

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. last — finally
  3. prune — to trim
  4. band — a ring
  5. present — a gift
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. chair — a leader
  8. last — final
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. fine — all right
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. bark — to shout
  14. present — there
  15. last — to go on
  16. present — the time now
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. prune — to trim
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. band — a music group
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. fine — high quality
  24. leaves — to go away

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