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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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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: field · lash · tear · shower · safe · prune · key · file

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. prune — to trim
  5. tear — from crying
  6. field — farmland
  7. file — a tool
  8. shower — to wash
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. key — in music
  11. key — the most important part
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. prune — to trim
  15. file — a document
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. key — for a lock
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. shower — rain
  20. field — a subject
  21. file — a line of people
  22. tear — to rip
  23. field — for sport
  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