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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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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. kick — in football
  6. band — a music group
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. prune — to trim
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. deal — to handle
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. cold — not warm
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. cold — an illness
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. band — a ring
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. stand — to bear

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