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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 120 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: pop · game · temple · prune · swing · patient · can · bark

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. game — a match
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. game — wild animals
  5. bark — to shout
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. can — a tin
  9. pop — soda
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. swing — in golf
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. prune — to trim
  15. swing — to play on
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. swing — music
  20. pop — music
  21. can — to be able to
  22. prune — to trim
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. can — a tin

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