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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. spell — magic
  5. band — a ring
  6. band — a music group
  7. spell — letters
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. rule — government
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. prune — to trim
  15. spell — a short time
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. rule — a law
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. dip — to sink
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. lash — to lash out

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