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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bore · lash · rush · board · squash · shower · cell · prune

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  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. lash — to lash out
  2. rush — hurry
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. board — to get on
  5. board — a committee
  6. bore — to tire
  7. squash — the sport
  8. prune — to trim
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. shower — to wash
  11. cell — a phone
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. squash — to crush
  14. bore — to drill
  15. cell — in biology
  16. shower — rain
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. prune — the fruit
  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