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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: lash · coach · shower · drill · craft · last · tear · prune

  1. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. drill — army training
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. prune — to trim
  7. tear — to rip
  8. drill — the tool
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. drill — a practice
  12. last — finally
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. craft — boats
  15. craft — a skill
  16. shower — to wash
  17. last — final
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. tear — from crying
  21. shower — rain
  22. prune — to trim
  23. tear — from crying
  24. last — to go on

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