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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: rock · bass · nail · march · rush · lash · bark · prune

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. prune — to trim
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. march — the month
  6. rock — a stone
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. rush — hurry
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. bass — low music
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. bass — the fish
  14. march — music
  15. prune — to trim
  16. bark — to shout
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. march — the month
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. rock — music
  24. nail — on a finger

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