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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: lash · arm · fall · degree · pitch · prune · rock · wake

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. rock — a stone
  3. pitch — completely
  4. prune — to trim
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. degree — an amount
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. wake — a trail
  11. rock — music
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. fall — the season
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. degree — temperature
  16. degree — from a university
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. fall — to drop
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. fall — to drop
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. prune — to trim
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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