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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: fan · sharp · saw · prune · wound · spell · current · lash

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. wound — an injury
  4. current — happening now
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. current — of water
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. saw — the tool
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. spell — magic
  12. saw — the tool
  13. spell — letters
  14. current — electric
  15. prune — to trim
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. prune — to trim
  18. sharp — clever
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. spell — a short time

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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