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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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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: fine · prune · bark · wake · root · chest · fork · wave

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  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. prune — to trim
  2. bark — to shout
  3. root — of a word
  4. prune — to trim
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. wake — a trail
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. root — of a plant
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. fine — all right
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. chest — of your body
  16. fork — in a road
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. root — the cause
  20. chest — of your body
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. fine — high quality
  23. chest — a box
  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