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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: file · lean · spring · prune · wound · lash · kid · stick

  1. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. file — a line of people
  3. prune — to trim
  4. prune — to trim
  5. wound — an injury
  6. kid — to tease
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. file — a document
  9. lean — to bend
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. kid — child
  13. spring — of water
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. wound — an injury
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. file — a tool
  18. spring — the season
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. spring — a coil
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. lean — thin

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