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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: kick · lash · prune · bay · mine · bark · present · spell

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. spell — letters
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. prune — to trim
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. spell — a short time
  9. kick — in football
  10. bark — to shout
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. mine — for digging
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. present — a gift
  17. present — the time now
  18. prune — to trim
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. present — there
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. lash — to lash out

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