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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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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: wake · swing · pit · object · prune · stem · tear · bark

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. swing — to play on
  3. object — to protest
  4. wake — a trail
  5. prune — to trim
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. tear — from crying
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. pit — a hole
  11. swing — music
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. tear — to rip
  14. tear — from crying
  15. swing — in golf
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. object — a thing
  19. pit — in a race
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. stem — to come from
  22. bark — to shout
  23. prune — to trim
  24. object — an aim

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