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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: wake · bulb · fan · fork · nail · rush · toast · prune

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. prune — to trim
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. bulb — for light
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. fork — in a road
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. rush — hurry
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. wake — a trail
  18. prune — to trim
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. toast — bread
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. bulb — for light

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