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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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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 · pound · mouse · lash · can · straw · game · kick

  1. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. can — to be able to
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. game — a match
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. kick — in football
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. game — wild animals
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. prune — to trim
  18. prune — to trim
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. pound — a weight
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. can — a tin
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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