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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 120 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: bear · prune · nail · bark · rest · lash · fall · mark

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. bear — the animal
  7. bear — the animal
  8. rest — a break
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. fall — to drop
  11. rest — what's left
  12. bark — to shout
  13. fall — to drop
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. prune — to trim
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. prune — to trim
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. fall — the season
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. mark — a trace
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. rest — what's left
  24. mark — a grade

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