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

Word bank: tear · prune · rush · straw · rule · lash · nail · club

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. tear — to rip
  3. rush — hurry
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. prune — to trim
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. club — for dancing
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. prune — to trim
  14. club — a group
  15. tear — from crying
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. rule — government
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. club — for golf
  21. rule — a law
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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