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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: rush · bark · ball · object · prune · wound · band · firm

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. rush — hurry
  3. wound — an injury
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. firm — decided
  7. firm — steady
  8. prune — to trim
  9. bark — to shout
  10. object — an aim
  11. band — a music group
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. wound — an injury
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. ball — a dance
  18. object — a thing
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. ball — a great time
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. band — a ring
  23. firm — a company
  24. prune — to trim

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