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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: lash · fork · land · tube · prune · root · club · shower

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. fork — in a road
  3. shower — to wash
  4. shower — rain
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. prune — to trim
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. club — a group
  10. root — of a word
  11. land — a country
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. tube — the underground
  15. club — for dancing
  16. prune — to trim
  17. tube — a container
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. land — to come down
  21. root — of a plant
  22. club — for golf
  23. root — the cause
  24. land — ground

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