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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 · staff · snap · capital · last · coach · bear · lash

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. last — finally
  3. prune — to trim
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. staff — employees
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. bear — the animal
  12. last — to go on
  13. staff — employees
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. last — final
  18. capital — money
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. bear — the animal
  21. capital — a city
  22. staff — a stick
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. snap — to click

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