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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: straw · prune · lash · content · march · racket · present · bank

  1. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. present — the time now
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. present — there
  6. content — happy
  7. present — a gift
  8. bank — of a river
  9. march — the month
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. march — music
  12. march — the month
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. bank — for money
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. content — the amount
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. prune — to trim
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. prune — to trim
  24. lash — an eyelash

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