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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 120 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: branch · suit · bark · wound · chest · prune · trunk · bay

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. prune — to trim
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. chest — of your body
  5. prune — to trim
  6. suit — in cards
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. chest — a box
  10. suit — to fit
  11. branch — a division
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. wound — an injury
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. suit — clothes
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. chest — of your body
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. bark — to shout
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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