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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: bulb · calf · rock · field · fork · lash · cold · prune

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. rock — music
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. cold — an illness
  6. prune — to trim
  7. bulb — for light
  8. field — farmland
  9. field — for sport
  10. bulb — for light
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. prune — to trim
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. cold — not warm
  17. rock — a stone
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. fork — in a road
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. field — a subject
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. calf — a young animal

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