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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: present · lash · prune · content · arm · fork · season · bulb

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. bulb — for light
  4. present — the time now
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. present — a gift
  9. content — the amount
  10. content — happy
  11. present — there
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. prune — to trim
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. season — of the year
  20. season — in sport
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. bulb — for light
  23. fork — in a road
  24. prune — to trim

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