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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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  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. wake — a trail
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. hand — help
  5. foot — a measure
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. prune — to trim
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. pound — a weight
  13. kid — child
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. prune — to trim
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. hand — in cards
  19. kid — to tease
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. foot — part of the body
  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