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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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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: chip · prune · rock · toast · track · lash · calf · hand

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. prune — to trim
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. prune — to trim
  11. chip — to eat
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. rock — a stone
  14. chip — for betting
  15. hand — in cards
  16. toast — bread
  17. hand — help
  18. track — to keep track
  19. track — a path
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. track — a song
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. calf — a young animal

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