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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 116 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
468
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 · row · straw · craft · wound · game · lash · charge

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. game — a match
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. craft — boats
  7. charge — electricity
  8. prune — to trim
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. row — a line
  11. game — wild animals
  12. craft — a skill
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. charge — a price
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. prune — to trim
  20. row — to paddle
  21. charge — in control
  22. wound — an injury
  23. wound — an injury
  24. straw — dry grass

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