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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: deal · row · branch · wave · bark · lean · prune · root

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. prune — to trim
  3. root — of a word
  4. deal — to handle
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. lean — to bend
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. root — the cause
  9. row — a line
  10. branch — a division
  11. bark — to shout
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. root — of a plant
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. row — to paddle
  19. lean — thin
  20. prune — to trim
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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