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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: bore · prune · squash · roll · pop · straw · bark · wake

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. pop — music
  3. prune — to trim
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. bore — to drill
  10. wake — a trail
  11. bore — to tire
  12. pop — to visit
  13. prune — to trim
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. squash — to crush
  16. roll — a cake
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. roll — a list
  19. bark — to shout
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. squash — the sport
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. straw — dry grass

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