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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: kick · squash · date · ball · fork · march · prune · lash

  1. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. march — music
  4. ball — a dance
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. prune — to trim
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. march — the month
  11. kick — in football
  12. squash — the sport
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. squash — to crush
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. fork — in a road
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. ball — a great time
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. prune — to trim
  24. march — the month

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