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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: prune · wake · shower · hand · temple · stem · bark · suit

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. bark — to shout
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. wake — a trail
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. suit — to fit
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. hand — help
  10. stem — to come from
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. shower — rain
  13. suit — clothes
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. suit — in cards
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. prune — to trim
  20. prune — to trim
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. hand — in cards
  24. shower — to wash

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