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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
468
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: racket · prune · safe · saw · lash · shower · field · hand

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. shower — rain
  7. field — a subject
  8. prune — to trim
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. field — farmland
  13. prune — to trim
  14. saw — the tool
  15. shower — to wash
  16. hand — help
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. field — for sport
  20. hand — in cards
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. lash — an eyelash

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