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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: pitcher · prune · sharp · rule · leaves · lash · land · hide

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. land — a country
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. land — to come down
  10. land — ground
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. sharp — clever
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. rule — government
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. prune — to trim
  22. rule — a law
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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