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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: rest · track · spring · fine · rule · branch · prune · bark

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. track — a song
  5. prune — to trim
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. prune — to trim
  8. rest — what's left
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. spring — the season
  11. rule — government
  12. rest — what's left
  13. rule — a law
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. bark — to shout
  16. rest — a break
  17. track — to keep track
  18. branch — a division
  19. fine — high quality
  20. spring — of water
  21. spring — a coil
  22. track — a path
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. fine — all right

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