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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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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 · prune · stand · face · clip · shower · kid · ruler

  1. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. face — to point toward
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. clip — for paper
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. kid — child
  15. clip — to cut
  16. shower — to wash
  17. clip — a video
  18. prune — to trim
  19. prune — to trim
  20. kid — to tease
  21. face — to confront
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. face — part of the head
  24. shower — rain

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