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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: prune · wound · date · calf · field · land · lash · lean

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. land — ground
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. field — a subject
  8. field — for sport
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. date — the fruit
  11. field — farmland
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. wound — an injury
  15. lean — to bend
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. lean — thin
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. prune — to trim
  20. land — to come down
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. prune — to trim
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. land — a country

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