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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: cap · rest · wake · rash · lash · fall · fine · prune

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. cap — of ice
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. rest — what's left
  5. prune — to trim
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. fall — the season
  8. fall — to drop
  9. fine — high quality
  10. rash — a series
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. prune — to trim
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. cap — a hat
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. fine — all right
  19. rest — a break
  20. rash — hasty
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. wake — a trail
  23. fall — to drop
  24. rest — what's left

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