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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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. rock — music
  4. prune — to trim
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. fork — in a road
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. rock — a stone
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. chip — for betting
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. prune — to trim
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. chip — to eat
  20. wind — moving air
  21. wind — moving air
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. deal — to handle
  24. prune — the fruit

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