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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 · chair · net · prune · rash · lash · row · spring

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. chair — a leader
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. net — in sport
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. spring — of water
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. rash — hasty
  10. spring — the season
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. spell — a short time
  13. net — after costs
  14. prune — to trim
  15. row — to paddle
  16. spell — letters
  17. spell — magic
  18. prune — to trim
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. row — a line
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. net — for catching
  24. spring — a coil

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