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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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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: saw · mark · trunk · prune · rash · drill · bark · face

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. mark — a grade
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. bark — to shout
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. face — to confront
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. face — to point toward
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. drill — army training
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. drill — a practice
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. rash — a series
  16. rash — hasty
  17. prune — to trim
  18. face — part of the head
  19. saw — the tool
  20. drill — the tool
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. prune — to trim
  24. mark — a trace

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