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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.

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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: lash · kick · prune · root · rule · bark · drill · mug

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. mug — a cup
  3. bark — to shout
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. rule — a law
  8. prune — to trim
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. root — the cause
  11. rule — government
  12. drill — army training
  13. mug — to rob
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. root — of a word
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. kick — in football
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. drill — the tool
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. prune — to trim
  23. drill — a practice
  24. root — of a plant

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