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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. prune — to trim
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. fall — the season
  7. board — a committee
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. rule — government
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. prune — to trim
  12. mug — to rob
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. mug — a cup
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. shower — to wash
  17. shower — rain
  18. fall — to drop
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. mug — a face
  21. rule — a law
  22. wake — a trail
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. fall — to drop

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