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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: plane · branch · fan · spell · mug · patient · prune · bark

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. spell — letters
  3. mug — a face
  4. plane — a tool
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. branch — a division
  10. prune — to trim
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. prune — to trim
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. mug — a cup
  16. spell — a short time
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. spell — magic
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. mug — to rob

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