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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 120 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: arm · wake · prune · bound · fork · straw · kid · lash

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  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. arm — a part of something
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. fork — in a road
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. kid — child
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. bound — obliged
  12. prune — to trim
  13. prune — to trim
  14. wake — a trail
  15. bound — certain
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. kid — to tease
  19. bound — tied together
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. straw — a straw man
  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