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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: sharp · rash · rush · lean · prune · tear · staff · hide

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. staff — a stick
  4. lean — to bend
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. tear — to rip
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. staff — employees
  9. prune — to trim
  10. rush — hurry
  11. prune — to trim
  12. tear — from crying
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. staff — employees
  16. rash — a series
  17. rash — hasty
  18. lean — thin
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. sharp — clever
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. hide — to keep secret

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