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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 120 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 · hide · rush · bound · bass · branch · nail · prune

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. bound — tied together
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. prune — to trim
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. bound — obliged
  10. branch — a division
  11. bass — low music
  12. prune — to trim
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. bark — to shout
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. rush — hurry
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. bass — the fish
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. bound — certain
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. branch — of a bank

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