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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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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: wound · tear · calf · suit · lash · prune · drill · arm

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. tear — from crying
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. drill — a practice
  6. prune — to trim
  7. drill — army training
  8. suit — in cards
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. wound — an injury
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. drill — the tool
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. suit — to fit
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. wound — an injury
  19. tear — from crying
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. tear — to rip
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. suit — clothes

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