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

Word bank: fall · prune · straw · lash · stand · band · deal · bark

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  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. straw — a straw man
  2. band — a ring
  3. stand — to bear
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. fall — to drop
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. prune — to trim
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. fall — the season
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. band — a music group
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. fall — to drop
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. bark — to shout
  20. deal — to handle
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. prune — to trim
  23. straw — dry grass
  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