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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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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: fan · nail · pass · band · lash · race · net · prune

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. race — the arms race
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. band — a music group
  9. pass — a permit
  10. prune — to trim
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. race — humankind
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. net — after costs
  17. net — for catching
  18. net — in sport
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. band — a ring
  24. race — a contest

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