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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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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: row · branch · prune · lash · bear · toast · racket · bat

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. prune — to trim
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. bat — the animal
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. row — to paddle
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. bear — the animal
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. branch — a division
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. row — a line
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. prune — to trim
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. bear — the animal
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. prune — the fruit

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