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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: squash · stem · trunk · rest · bark · last · prune · land

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. squash — to crush
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. rest — what's left
  6. rest — what's left
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. land — ground
  9. bark — to shout
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. last — finally
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. land — to come down
  14. last — final
  15. land — a country
  16. stem — to come from
  17. rest — a break
  18. prune — to trim
  19. squash — the sport
  20. last — to go on
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. prune — to trim
  24. squash — the vegetable

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