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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: pound · bowl · fan · stick · lash · wake · prune · court

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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. bowl — a football final
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. court — of law
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. wake — a trail
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. court — for sport
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. prune — to trim
  22. court — of a king
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. pound — a weight

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