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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: hide · shower · squash · fall · bulb · prune · lash · lean

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  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. lean — to rest against
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. fall — the season
  4. squash — to crush
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. squash — the sport
  7. fall — to drop
  8. prune — to trim
  9. fall — to drop
  10. shower — rain
  11. lean — to bend
  12. shower — to wash
  13. prune — to trim
  14. bulb — for light
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. bulb — for light
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. lean — thin
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  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