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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: band · mug · stick · branch · prune · lash · kick · row

  1. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. prune — to trim
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. mug — a face
  6. row — to paddle
  7. branch — a division
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. row — a line
  10. band — a music group
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. mug — to rob
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. kick — in football
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. band — a ring
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. mug — a cup
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. row — a quarrel
  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