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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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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: prune · pound · fan · cap · tear · bulb · stem · nail

  1. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. cap — a lid
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. tear — from crying
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. stem — to come from
  7. pound — a weight
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. cap — of ice
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. tear — to rip
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. bulb — for light
  19. prune — to trim
  20. prune — to trim
  21. tear — from crying
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. cap — a hat
  24. prune — the fruit

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