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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: chair · game · bulb · bark · cabinet · swing · prune · ground

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  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. ground — a position
  2. ground — the earth
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. bark — to shout
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. game — wild animals
  10. swing — music
  11. chair — a leader
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. swing — to play on
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. bulb — for light
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. swing — in golf
  19. prune — to trim
  20. bulb — for light
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. ground — crushed
  23. game — a match
  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