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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 120 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: prune · band · chip · season · drill · sharp · bark · mark

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. prune — to trim
  4. bark — to shout
  5. drill — the tool
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. band — a music group
  9. mark — a trace
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. mark — a grade
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. band — a ring
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. chip — for betting
  16. drill — a practice
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. chip — to eat
  19. drill — army training
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. season — of the year
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. prune — to trim
  24. season — in sport

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