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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: bark · foot · prune · spring · hide · bound · root · rash

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. bark — to shout
  4. prune — to trim
  5. prune — to trim
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. bound — certain
  8. spring — the season
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. bound — obliged
  14. rash — hasty
  15. spring — of water
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. root — the cause
  18. rash — a series
  19. root — of a word
  20. bound — tied together
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. foot — a measure
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. root — of a plant

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