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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: bark · kid · trunk · prune · deal · pound · game · mark

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. deal — to handle
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. mark — a grade
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. pound — a weight
  11. mark — a trace
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. kid — to tease
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. prune — to trim
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. game — a match
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. prune — to trim
  22. bark — to shout
  23. kid — child
  24. deal — an agreement

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