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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: track · pop · wound · prune · tube · shower · dip · lash

  1. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. pop — soda
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. track — a song
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. prune — to trim
  10. wound — an injury
  11. prune — to trim
  12. shower — to wash
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. shower — rain
  16. pop — to visit
  17. tube — the underground
  18. pop — music
  19. track — a path
  20. tube — a container
  21. wound — an injury
  22. dip — to sink
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. track — to keep track

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