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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. prune — to trim
  5. ball — a dance
  6. face — to point toward
  7. prune — to trim
  8. face — to confront
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. face — part of the head
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. hand — help
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. row — to paddle
  15. row — a line
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. hand — in cards
  20. perch — the fish
  21. ball — a great time
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. ball — a round shape

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