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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: track · net · prune · wound · temple · bark · present · rash

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. net — for catching
  6. net — after costs
  7. track — a song
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. track — a path
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. present — the time now
  13. prune — to trim
  14. rash — a series
  15. wound — an injury
  16. rash — hasty
  17. track — to keep track
  18. present — a gift
  19. bark — to shout
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. wound — an injury
  22. present — there
  23. prune — to trim
  24. bark — of a tree

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