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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: tear · prune · board · charge · lash · date · rush · wake

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. charge — in control
  3. charge — a price
  4. tear — to rip
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. charge — electricity
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. date — the fruit
  11. rush — hurry
  12. wake — a trail
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. prune — to trim
  16. prune — to trim
  17. board — a committee
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. tear — from crying
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. board — to get on
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. tear — from crying

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