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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: prune · lash · can · kick · cold · bay · stick · deal

  1. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. kick — in football
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. prune — to trim
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. can — a tin
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. cold — not warm
  15. can — to be able to
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. prune — to trim
  19. cold — an illness
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. deal — to handle
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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