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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: prune · stick · wind · bark · chest · net · march · foot

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. wind — moving air
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. net — for catching
  6. prune — to trim
  7. net — in sport
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. chest — of your body
  10. foot — a measure
  11. chest — of your body
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. march — the month
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. prune — to trim
  16. march — music
  17. wind — moving air
  18. net — after costs
  19. bark — to shout
  20. chest — a box
  21. march — the month
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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