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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: date · race · lash · prune · arm · wax · roll · stick

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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. roll — a cake
  4. wax — to grow
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. roll — a list
  8. date — the fruit
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. race — the arms race
  13. race — a contest
  14. prune — to trim
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. race — humankind
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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