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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.

Make a worksheet

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
468
Word bank
YesNo
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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: mine · press · bark · land · safe · lash · fine · prune

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. prune — to trim
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. press — to push
  5. fine — all right
  6. land — a country
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. land — ground
  13. prune — to trim
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. fine — high quality
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. mine — for digging
  18. bark — to shout
  19. land — to come down
  20. press — newspapers
  21. press — a publisher
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. lash — an eyelash

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