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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: prune · rest · lash · bark · land · bat · squash · suit

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. rest — a break
  3. suit — in cards
  4. suit — to fit
  5. land — ground
  6. land — to come down
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. squash — the sport
  10. land — a country
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. bark — to shout
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. prune — to trim
  16. prune — to trim
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. rest — what's left
  19. squash — to crush
  20. suit — clothes
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. rest — what's left
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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