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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: arm · cap · spring · bark · object · foot · prune · racket

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. object — to protest
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. spring — a coil
  8. spring — the season
  9. object — an aim
  10. spring — of water
  11. cap — a lid
  12. object — a thing
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. prune — to trim
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. cap — of ice
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. bark — to shout
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. foot — a measure
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. cap — a hat
  23. prune — to trim
  24. arm — part of the body

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