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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: mine · firm · lie · wind · prune · lash · object · field

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. object — an aim
  3. prune — to trim
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. object — a thing
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. field — farmland
  9. object — to protest
  10. firm — a company
  11. firm — decided
  12. lie — to recline
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. firm — steady
  17. wind — moving air
  18. field — for sport
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. wind — moving air
  21. prune — to trim
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. field — a subject

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