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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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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: ruler · lash · shower · prune · object · straw · cell · face

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. cell — a phone
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. shower — to wash
  8. object — an aim
  9. cell — in biology
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. face — to point toward
  12. shower — rain
  13. prune — to trim
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. face — part of the head
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. object — a thing
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. object — to protest
  22. face — to confront
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. prune — to trim

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