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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
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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: rest · hand · bass · bark · prune · rule · season · vault

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. rest — what's left
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. bark — to shout
  5. rest — what's left
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. hand — in cards
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. prune — to trim
  10. season — of the year
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. hand — help
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. vault — a safe
  17. rule — government
  18. rule — a law
  19. season — in sport
  20. prune — to trim
  21. bass — low music
  22. rest — a break
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. bass — the fish

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