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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: capital · trunk · game · bass · roll · lash · bear · prune

  1. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. prune — to trim
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. prune — to trim
  6. capital — a city
  7. bass — low music
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. game — a match
  13. roll — a cake
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. bear — the animal
  16. game — wild animals
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. bear — the animal
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. bass — the fish
  22. roll — a list
  23. capital — money
  24. lash — to lash out

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