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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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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: lash · prune · bay · rest · mark · roll · cell · court

  1. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. roll — a list
  4. court — of law
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. rest — a break
  8. prune — to trim
  9. cell — in biology
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. rest — what's left
  12. mark — a grade
  13. prune — to trim
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. court — of a king
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. roll — a cake
  20. cell — a phone
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. court — for sport
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. rest — what's left

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