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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 spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. track — a song
  5. rock — a stone
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. hand — in cards
  9. band — a music group
  10. rock — music
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. track — to keep track
  13. band — a ring
  14. track — a path
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. game — wild animals
  17. prune — to trim
  18. game — a match
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. bark — to shout
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. hand — help
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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