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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: prune · fork · lash · clip · club · ball · rule · bore

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. clip — for paper
  3. bore — to tire
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. fork — in a road
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. bore — to drill
  10. prune — to trim
  11. club — a group
  12. club — for golf
  13. rule — government
  14. clip — a video
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. ball — a great time
  18. prune — to trim
  19. clip — to cut
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. club — for dancing
  22. ball — a dance
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. rule — a law

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