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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: squash · lean · net · prune · chip · staff · bark · march

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. march — the month
  4. lean — thin
  5. net — for catching
  6. march — music
  7. prune — to trim
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. chip — for betting
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. staff — a stick
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. net — after costs
  14. lean — to bend
  15. staff — employees
  16. march — the month
  17. net — in sport
  18. squash — to crush
  19. prune — to trim
  20. chip — to eat
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. squash — the sport
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. bark — to shout

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