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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: net · rule · branch · row · prune · bark · wake · straw

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. rule — government
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. wake — a trail
  5. bark — to shout
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. branch — a division
  8. net — after costs
  9. net — in sport
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. rule — a law
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. row — to paddle
  16. net — for catching
  17. row — a line
  18. prune — to trim
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. prune — to trim
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. bark — of a tree

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