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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: shower · deal · field · lash · vault · fine · prune · cap

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. shower — to wash
  3. shower — rain
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. field — a subject
  6. cap — of ice
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. deal — to handle
  9. cap — a hat
  10. prune — to trim
  11. fine — high quality
  12. fine — all right
  13. field — for sport
  14. cap — a lid
  15. vault — a safe
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. prune — to trim
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. field — farmland
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. deal — an agreement

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