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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: perch · rule · bear · bass · bark · pitch · prune · mine

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. perch — the fish
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. bear — the animal
  7. mine — for digging
  8. pitch — completely
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. rule — government
  11. rule — a law
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. prune — to trim
  14. bear — the animal
  15. bass — the fish
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. bark — to shout
  18. bass — low music
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. prune — to trim
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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