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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. fine — high quality
  5. prune — to trim
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. race — the arms race
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. kick — in football
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. scale — size or range
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. fine — all right
  15. race — humankind
  16. race — a contest
  17. field — a subject
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. field — for sport
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. scale — in music
  24. field — farmland

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