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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: wound · prune · bank · last · mug · bark · fall · plane

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. bank — for money
  3. wound — an injury
  4. fall — the season
  5. mug — a face
  6. mug — to rob
  7. prune — to trim
  8. last — to go on
  9. bank — for money
  10. mug — a cup
  11. fall — to drop
  12. plane — a tool
  13. fall — to drop
  14. last — final
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. bank — of a river
  19. bark — to shout
  20. last — finally
  21. prune — to trim
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. bark — of a tree

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