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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 120 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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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: lash · prune · wave · rush · last · rest · deal · tear

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. prune — to trim
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. last — to go on
  7. rest — what's left
  8. deal — to handle
  9. prune — to trim
  10. tear — from crying
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. tear — to rip
  14. last — finally
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. rest — what's left
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. last — final
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. tear — from crying
  23. rest — a break
  24. rush — hurry

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