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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: cabinet · can · leaves · hand · bulb · prune · pound · bark

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. hand — in cards
  4. can — a tin
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. bulb — for light
  8. prune — to trim
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. pound — a weight
  12. bulb — for light
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. prune — to trim
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. can — to be able to
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. bark — to shout
  23. can — a tin
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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