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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
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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: spell · foot · wound · prune · lash · fork · mine · squash

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. prune — to trim
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. squash — the sport
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. foot — a measure
  10. fork — in a road
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. squash — to crush
  13. spell — a short time
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. spell — letters
  16. wound — an injury
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. prune — to trim
  19. spell — magic
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. wound — an injury
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. mine — for digging

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