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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: bark · prune · deal · mark · fine · ground · leaves · arm

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. ground — a position
  4. fine — all right
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. deal — to handle
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. bark — to shout
  12. mark — a grade
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. prune — to trim
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. ground — the earth
  18. fine — high quality
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. ground — crushed
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. mark — a trace
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. arm — part of the body

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