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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: prune · nail · staff · bat · rash · rock · jam · lash

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. rash — hasty
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. prune — to trim
  9. staff — employees
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. rash — a series
  12. staff — employees
  13. rock — a stone
  14. bat — the animal
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. prune — to trim
  23. staff — a stick
  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