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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: hide · chair · bear · fall · prune · drill · bank · lash

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  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. chair — a leader
  2. prune — to trim
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. bear — the animal
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. prune — to trim
  7. fall — the season
  8. drill — the tool
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. drill — army training
  12. bank — of a river
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. fall — to drop
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. drill — a practice
  18. bear — the animal
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. bank — for money
  21. bank — for money
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. fall — to drop
  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