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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: prune · club · ground · ruler · rush · stick · bat · straw

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. club — for golf
  5. rush — hurry
  6. prune — to trim
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. ground — a position
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. club — for dancing
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. ground — crushed
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. ground — the earth
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. bat — the animal
  23. club — a group
  24. bat — in an idiom

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