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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: prune · rock · ruler · ground · clip · bear · bark · hide

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. ground — crushed
  3. clip — a video
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. prune — to trim
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. rock — a stone
  11. bark — to shout
  12. ground — a position
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. clip — to cut
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. rock — music
  17. prune — to trim
  18. bear — the animal
  19. clip — for paper
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. bear — the animal
  22. ground — the earth
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. prune — the fruit

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