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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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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: kick · prune · wake · hide · ball · lash · mate · perch

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. ball — a great time
  7. ball — a dance
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. mate — a partner
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. mate — a friend
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. perch — the fish
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. prune — to trim
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. kick — in football
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. prune — to trim
  20. wake — a trail
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. mate — to breed
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. perch — for a bird

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