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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: drill · branch · bulb · deal · rest · bark · patient · prune

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. drill — the tool
  3. prune — to trim
  4. prune — to trim
  5. rest — a break
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. bulb — for light
  10. deal — to handle
  11. drill — army training
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. branch — a division
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. rest — what's left
  19. bulb — for light
  20. drill — a practice
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. bark — to shout
  24. rest — what's left

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