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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: bound · lash · shower · prune · stand · tear · wake · hand

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. tear — from crying
  4. shower — rain
  5. bound — tied together
  6. tear — to rip
  7. tear — from crying
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. prune — to trim
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. wake — a trail
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. stand — to bear
  16. bound — certain
  17. bound — obliged
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. shower — to wash
  21. hand — help
  22. prune — to trim
  23. hand — in cards
  24. stand — for spectators

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