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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: nail · kick · foot · bark · kid · board · rock · prune

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. rock — music
  5. rock — a stone
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. prune — to trim
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. bark — to shout
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. board — to get on
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. kid — child
  17. foot — a measure
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. board — a committee
  21. kick — in football
  22. kid — to tease
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. kick — a thrill

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