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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 116 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: prune · chip · club · bat · pound · bark · staff · rash

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. rash — hasty
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. chip — for betting
  8. staff — a stick
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. chip — to eat
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. club — a group
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. pound — a weight
  15. rash — a series
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. club — for golf
  18. staff — employees
  19. prune — to trim
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. staff — employees
  22. prune — to trim
  23. bat — the animal
  24. club — for dancing

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