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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: ball · root · bulb · club · lean · bark · prune · fall

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. ball — a great time
  3. club — for golf
  4. club — a group
  5. root — of a word
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. fall — to drop
  8. prune — to trim
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. fall — the season
  12. bulb — for light
  13. bark — to shout
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. club — for dancing
  16. lean — thin
  17. root — the cause
  18. fall — to drop
  19. lean — to bend
  20. bulb — for light
  21. ball — a dance
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. root — of a plant
  24. prune — to trim

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