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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 · perch · straw · lash · last · field · branch · bore

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. field — for sport
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. bore — to drill
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. branch — a division
  8. field — farmland
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. field — a subject
  12. last — to go on
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. prune — to trim
  15. prune — to trim
  16. last — finally
  17. perch — the fish
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. last — final
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. bore — to tire
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. straw — dry grass

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