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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: bark · saw · prune · swing · leaves · race · net · hand

  1. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. prune — to trim
  5. race — humankind
  6. saw — the tool
  7. race — the arms race
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. saw — the tool
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. hand — in cards
  13. swing — in golf
  14. prune — to trim
  15. hand — help
  16. swing — music
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. net — for catching
  19. net — after costs
  20. swing — to play on
  21. net — in sport
  22. race — a contest
  23. bark — to shout
  24. leaves — to go away

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