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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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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: wind · cabinet · mouse · bark · branch · prune · drill · present

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  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. wind — moving air
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. prune — to trim
  6. present — the time now
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. present — a gift
  10. drill — army training
  11. wind — moving air
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. drill — the tool
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. branch — a division
  17. present — there
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. drill — a practice
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. bark — to shout
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. prune — to trim
  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