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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 · rock · calf · bark · game · prune · hand · lash

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. cue — a hint
  3. cue — a signal
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. prune — to trim
  6. hand — in cards
  7. rock — a stone
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. rock — music
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. hand — help
  17. prune — to trim
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. bark — to shout
  20. game — a match
  21. game — wild animals
  22. cue — for pool
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. hand — 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