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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 · safe · bat · cabinet · present · shower · clip · lash

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. Hold the papers together with 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. prune — the fruit
  2. bat — the animal
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. present — a gift
  5. present — the time now
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. shower — to wash
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. present — there
  15. clip — a video
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. clip — to cut
  21. prune — to trim
  22. shower — rain
  23. clip — for paper
  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