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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: ruler · bulb · prune · lie · field · kick · court · sharp

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. prune — to trim
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. bulb — for light
  10. sharp — clever
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. field — for sport
  14. bulb — for light
  15. field — a subject
  16. field — farmland
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. court — for sport
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. court — of law
  21. kick — in football
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. lie — to recline
  24. court — of a king

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