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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: rash · field · pass · prune · straw · wave · lash · spell

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. rash — hasty
  3. spell — magic
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. field — a subject
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. field — for sport
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. field — farmland
  16. spell — letters
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. spell — a short time
  20. prune — to trim
  21. rash — a series
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. pass — a permit

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