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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: wake · prune · hand · hide · bark · pop · scale · mark

  1. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. wake — a trail
  5. prune — to trim
  6. hand — help
  7. scale — size or range
  8. pop — soda
  9. pop — music
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. prune — to trim
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. scale — in music
  16. hand — in cards
  17. pop — to visit
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. mark — a grade
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. bark — to shout
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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