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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: game · lash · prune · hand · object · mouse · clip · deal

  1. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. prune — to trim
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. object — an aim
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. deal — to handle
  9. game — wild animals
  10. game — a match
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. prune — to trim
  13. clip — a video
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. clip — to cut
  16. hand — help
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. object — a thing
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. hand — in cards
  21. object — to protest
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. clip — for paper

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