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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: bark · present · wake · saw · stand · scale · prune · snap

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  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. bark — of a tree
  2. scale — size or range
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. wake — a trail
  7. stand — to bear
  8. present — a gift
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. bark — to shout
  12. present — there
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. saw — the tool
  16. saw — the tool
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. present — the time now
  19. prune — to trim
  20. snap — to click
  21. scale — in music
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  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