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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.

Make a worksheet

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: straw · foot · lash · rash · prune · file · bass · root

  1. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. prune — to trim
  3. prune — to trim
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. rash — hasty
  6. file — a line of people
  7. file — a tool
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. rash — a series
  15. root — of a word
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. bass — the fish
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. file — a document
  21. root — the cause
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. bass — low music
  24. root — of a plant

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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