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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: net · prune · wound · bark · bear · current · sharp · snap

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. bear — the animal
  3. net — after costs
  4. wound — an injury
  5. prune — to trim
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. current — of water
  8. sharp — clever
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. bear — the animal
  13. prune — to trim
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. net — in sport
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. net — for catching
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. current — happening now
  20. snap — to click
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. current — electric
  24. wound — an injury

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