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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: land · prune · dip · pop · board · lash · hand · saw

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. dip — to sink
  4. pop — soda
  5. prune — to trim
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. land — ground
  8. board — a committee
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. saw — the tool
  11. land — a country
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. prune — to trim
  14. land — to come down
  15. hand — help
  16. board — to get on
  17. hand — in cards
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. saw — the tool
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. pop — music
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. pop — to visit

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