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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. prune — to trim
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. kid — to tease
  6. rash — a series
  7. pop — music
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. pop — soda
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. kid — child
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. prune — to trim
  16. bound — certain
  17. track — to keep track
  18. bound — obliged
  19. track — a path
  20. rash — hasty
  21. track — a song
  22. fork — in a road
  23. bound — tied together
  24. pop — to visit

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