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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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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 · hand · saw · chip · content · trunk · tube · prune

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. prune — to trim
  6. saw — the tool
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. tube — the underground
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. content — the amount
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. content — happy
  17. chip — for betting
  18. chip — to eat
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. hand — help
  21. tube — a container
  22. hand — in cards
  23. bark — to shout
  24. saw — the tool

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