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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 116 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: straw · lash · stick · land · trunk · snap · prune · scale

  1. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. land — a country
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. prune — to trim
  6. snap — to click
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. land — ground
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. scale — size or range
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. scale — in music
  19. prune — to trim
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. land — to come down
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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