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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 116 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: bark · root · fan · prune · mug · tear · mine · ruler

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. tear — from crying
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. tear — from crying
  9. mug — a face
  10. tear — to rip
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. mug — a cup
  14. mine — for digging
  15. prune — to trim
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. mug — to rob
  19. root — the cause
  20. bark — to shout
  21. root — of a plant
  22. root — of a word
  23. prune — to trim
  24. ruler — for measuring

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