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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: foot · tube · rest · clip · bark · patient · band · prune

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. clip — for paper
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. clip — a video
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. rest — what's left
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. tube — the underground
  13. clip — to cut
  14. bark — to shout
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. foot — a measure
  17. rest — a break
  18. tube — a container
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. rest — what's left
  21. band — a music group
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. band — a ring
  24. prune — to trim

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