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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.

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: mine · clip · lash · prune · lean · rash · object · pit

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. prune — to trim
  3. clip — for paper
  4. object — to protest
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. pit — a hole
  8. object — an aim
  9. lean — thin
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. clip — to cut
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. rash — a series
  14. prune — to trim
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. object — a thing
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. clip — a video
  19. lean — to bend
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. pit — in a race
  22. rash — hasty
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. mine — for digging

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