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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 116 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: saw · fine · bark · hide · wave · mine · game · prune

  1. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. prune — to trim
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. prune — to trim
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. game — a match
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. saw — the tool
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. fine — all right
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. saw — the tool
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. bark — to shout
  21. mine — for digging
  22. fine — high quality
  23. game — wild animals
  24. mine — belonging to me

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