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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: field · suit · prune · bark · board · pound · wound · rest

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. wound — an injury
  3. rest — what's left
  4. bark — to shout
  5. prune — to trim
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. pound — a weight
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. suit — in cards
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. board — a committee
  12. field — a subject
  13. rest — what's left
  14. field — for sport
  15. wound — an injury
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. suit — clothes
  18. board — to get on
  19. rest — a break
  20. suit — to fit
  21. prune — to trim
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. field — farmland
  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