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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: club · wound · prune · lash · root · lean · file · shower

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  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. prune — to trim
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. club — a group
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. file — a tool
  6. file — a line of people
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. club — for golf
  9. lean — thin
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. wound — an injury
  12. root — the cause
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. club — for dancing
  16. lean — to bend
  17. root — of a plant
  18. shower — to wash
  19. wound — an injury
  20. file — a document
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. shower — rain
  23. root — of a word
  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