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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bass · foot · prune · rash · ground · clip · bark · toast

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. rash — a series
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. rash — hasty
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. toast — bread
  9. clip — to cut
  10. clip — for paper
  11. ground — a position
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. foot — a measure
  15. clip — a video
  16. ground — crushed
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. bass — low music
  19. bark — to shout
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. bass — the fish
  23. prune — to trim
  24. ground — the earth

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