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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: prune · lash · rule · mug · shower · wax · toast · present

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. mug — a face
  3. shower — to wash
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. prune — to trim
  6. mug — to rob
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. rule — a law
  10. toast — bread
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. mug — a cup
  15. rule — government
  16. prune — to trim
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. present — there
  19. wax — to grow
  20. shower — rain
  21. present — the time now
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. wax — for sculpting

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