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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: stand · craft · perch · prune · lie · fork · bat · lash

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. lie — to recline
  6. stand — to bear
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. fork — in a road
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. bat — the animal
  17. prune — to trim
  18. prune — to trim
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. craft — a skill
  23. craft — boats
  24. lash — an eyelash

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