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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: lash · hand · fan · sharp · board · foot · wake · prune

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. board — to get on
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. prune — to trim
  9. prune — to trim
  10. wake — a trail
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. sharp — clever
  17. hand — help
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. hand — in cards
  21. board — a committee
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. foot — a measure

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