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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: court · bass · prune · lean · file · bark · ground · calf

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. court — of law
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. bass — low music
  5. ground — crushed
  6. file — a line of people
  7. prune — to trim
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. file — a tool
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. file — a document
  13. bark — to shout
  14. ground — a position
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. lean — thin
  17. court — of a king
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. ground — the earth
  21. court — for sport
  22. lean — to bend
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. prune — to trim

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