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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: face · prune · shower · capital · deal · straw · lash · bowl

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. shower — to wash
  5. shower — rain
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. capital — a city
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. prune — to trim
  13. face — to confront
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. capital — money
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. prune — to trim
  18. face — to point toward
  19. face — part of the head
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. deal — to handle
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. prune — the fruit

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