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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: arm · bark · rock · chair · band · land · sharp · prune

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. land — ground
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. prune — to trim
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. rock — a stone
  8. bark — to shout
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. sharp — clever
  11. rock — music
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. prune — to trim
  14. band — a ring
  15. band — a music group
  16. land — to come down
  17. chair — a leader
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. land — a country
  23. arm — a part of something
  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