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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 120 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: hand · prune · pound · bass · rash · plane · game · lash

  1. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — in geometry
  2. rash — hasty
  3. bass — low music
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. bass — the fish
  6. game — wild animals
  7. prune — to trim
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. pound — a weight
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. game — a match
  13. hand — help
  14. prune — to trim
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. plane — a tool
  20. hand — in cards
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. rash — a series

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