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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: lash · fall · fan · bound · prune · race · sharp · cold

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. race — the arms race
  4. race — humankind
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. fall — to drop
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. bound — obliged
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. race — a contest
  12. sharp — clever
  13. cold — an illness
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. fall — the season
  16. prune — to trim
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. cold — not warm
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. prune — to trim
  23. fall — to drop
  24. bound — certain

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