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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 116 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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. hand — help
  5. prune — to trim
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. object — an aim
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. prune — to trim
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. object — to protest
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. object — a thing
  17. rush — hurry
  18. kid — child
  19. kid — to tease
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. fine — all right
  22. hand — in cards
  23. fine — high quality
  24. racket — for tennis

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