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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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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: cue · prune · date · ball · lash · nail · straw · cold

  1. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. cue — a hint
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. cue — for pool
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. ball — a dance
  10. cue — a signal
  11. date — the fruit
  12. cold — not warm
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. ball — a great time
  15. cold — an illness
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. prune — to trim
  21. prune — to trim
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. nail — for a hammer

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