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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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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: root · rule · prune · bark · branch · saw · stock · court

  1. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. rule — government
  3. prune — to trim
  4. rule — a law
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. saw — the tool
  8. root — the cause
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. root — of a word
  11. bark — to shout
  12. stock — shares
  13. court — for sport
  14. court — of law
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. saw — the tool
  18. stock — goods
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. court — of a king
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. prune — to trim
  23. branch — a division
  24. prune — the fruit

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