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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: rock · content · prune · rush · lash · file · bat · stem

  1. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. rock — a stone
  6. bat — the animal
  7. content — happy
  8. stem — to come from
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. rush — hurry
  12. file — a tool
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. rock — music
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. file — a document
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. file — a line of people
  20. prune — to trim
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. prune — to trim
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. content — the amount

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