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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: pitcher · fall · bark · degree · chest · suit · board · prune

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. fall — to drop
  5. fall — the season
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. board — a committee
  9. suit — clothes
  10. prune — to trim
  11. fall — to drop
  12. suit — in cards
  13. board — to get on
  14. chest — of your body
  15. degree — an amount
  16. bark — to shout
  17. prune — to trim
  18. chest — of your body
  19. suit — to fit
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. degree — temperature
  22. degree — from a university
  23. chest — a box
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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