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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 116 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: wound · fall · prune · hand · lash · field · dip · bear

  1. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. wound — an injury
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. prune — to trim
  5. prune — to trim
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. field — for sport
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. bear — the animal
  10. fall — the season
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. fall — to drop
  13. wound — an injury
  14. hand — in cards
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. bear — the animal
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. hand — help
  21. field — farmland
  22. fall — to drop
  23. field — a subject
  24. dip — a sauce

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