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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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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: bark · tear · row · drill · prune · lash · bound · rush

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. row — a line
  3. drill — the tool
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. row — to paddle
  9. tear — from crying
  10. prune — to trim
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. bound — certain
  14. bark — to shout
  15. bound — obliged
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. bound — tied together
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. tear — from crying
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. tear — to rip
  22. drill — a practice
  23. drill — army training
  24. rush — hurry

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