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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 office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. saw — the tool
  5. shower — to wash
  6. hand — in cards
  7. hand — help
  8. rash — a series
  9. saw — the tool
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. prune — to trim
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. staff — employees
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. staff — a stick
  16. rash — hasty
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. shower — rain
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. prune — to trim

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