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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
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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: race · prune · perch · season · board · roll · bark · ground

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. ground — crushed
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. bark — to shout
  5. perch — the fish
  6. board — a committee
  7. ground — the earth
  8. board — to get on
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. season — of the year
  11. race — the arms race
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. roll — a list
  14. race — a contest
  15. prune — to trim
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. race — humankind
  18. prune — to trim
  19. season — in sport
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. roll — a cake
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. board — a flat piece

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