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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.

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: sharp · last · game · stick · row · lash · prune · straw

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. sharp — clever
  14. game — a match
  15. row — to paddle
  16. last — finally
  17. last — to go on
  18. prune — to trim
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. last — final
  21. row — a line
  22. game — wild animals
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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