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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: lash · trunk · kick · rest · race · mark · prune · staff

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. mark — a trace
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. rest — a break
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. kick — in football
  9. rest — what's left
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. prune — to trim
  13. prune — to trim
  14. mark — a grade
  15. race — a contest
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. race — humankind
  20. staff — employees
  21. rest — what's left
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. race — the arms race
  24. staff — employees

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