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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: charge · lash · straw · prune · spring · suit · arm · root

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. charge — electricity
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. suit — in cards
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. suit — to fit
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. spring — a coil
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. spring — of water
  15. charge — a price
  16. root — of a word
  17. suit — clothes
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. prune — to trim
  20. charge — in control
  21. root — the cause
  22. spring — the season
  23. root — of a plant
  24. arm — part of the body

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