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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 · deal · lash · pass · kid · bark · wake · degree

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. kid — to tease
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. bark — to shout
  7. degree — temperature
  8. prune — to trim
  9. pass — a permit
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. degree — from a university
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. degree — an amount
  16. deal — to handle
  17. prune — to trim
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. wake — a trail
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. kid — child

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