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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: prune · mark · perch · bark · content · sharp · rest · spell

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. prune — to trim
  6. prune — to trim
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. perch — the fish
  9. bark — to shout
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. spell — letters
  12. content — happy
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. spell — a short time
  15. content — the amount
  16. mark — a trace
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. sharp — clever
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. spell — magic
  21. rest — a break
  22. rest — what's left
  23. mark — a grade
  24. sharp — with an edge

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