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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: scale · bound · wind · leaves · squash · bark · lean · prune

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. bound — tied together
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. scale — size or range
  6. bark — to shout
  7. prune — to trim
  8. bound — certain
  9. prune — to trim
  10. scale — in music
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. wind — moving air
  14. squash — to crush
  15. bound — obliged
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. wind — moving air
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. lean — thin
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. lean — to bend

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