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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: cold · prune · squash · lash · stick · shower · object · ruler

  1. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. squash — to crush
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. shower — to wash
  7. object — to protest
  8. object — a thing
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. squash — the sport
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. cold — not warm
  14. object — an aim
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. prune — to trim
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. prune — to trim
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. shower — rain
  23. cold — an illness
  24. ruler — a monarch

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