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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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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: chest · toast · lash · pit · rash · kick · prune · plane

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. rash — hasty
  5. prune — to trim
  6. kick — in football
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. pit — a hole
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. plane — a tool
  12. chest — of your body
  13. toast — bread
  14. chest — of your body
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. rash — a series
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. prune — to trim
  22. chest — a box
  23. pit — in a race
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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