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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: root · clip · bark · prune · leaves · rash · calf · lean

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. lean — to bend
  3. prune — to trim
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. root — of a plant
  6. lean — thin
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. clip — a video
  12. root — of a word
  13. rash — hasty
  14. prune — to trim
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. bark — to shout
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. clip — to cut
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. clip — for paper
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. root — the cause

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