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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: wind · prune · squash · lean · lash · board · hand · content

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. squash — the sport
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. hand — in cards
  6. board — to get on
  7. board — a committee
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. wind — moving air
  10. lean — thin
  11. content — the amount
  12. squash — to crush
  13. lean — to bend
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. content — happy
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. hand — help
  21. prune — to trim
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. prune — to trim
  24. squash — the vegetable

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