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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 120 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 · board · straw · bark · hide · pitcher · season · bear

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  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. bark — of a tree
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. board — to get on
  4. season — of the year
  5. bear — the animal
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. board — a committee
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. season — in sport
  16. bear — the animal
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. bark — to shout
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. prune — to trim
  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