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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: date · branch · chest · prune · bay · roll · can · bark

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. chest — a box
  4. chest — of your body
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. bark — to shout
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. prune — to trim
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. roll — a list
  14. prune — to trim
  15. can — to be able to
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. can — a tin
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. date — the fruit
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. branch — a division
  23. can — a tin
  24. roll — a cake

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