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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: stick · prune · bear · bark · date · trunk · content · lash

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. prune — to trim
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. prune — to trim
  9. bark — to shout
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. date — the fruit
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. content — the amount
  18. bear — the animal
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. content — happy
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. bear — the animal

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