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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: prune · pitcher · scale · chest · leaves · lash · bowl · rush

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. scale — size or range
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. scale — in music
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. prune — to trim
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. chest — a box
  17. chest — of your body
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. chest — of your body
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. prune — to trim

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