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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: net · lash · file · nail · trunk · bulb · bore · shower

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. net — in sport
  4. file — a tool
  5. shower — rain
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. bore — to tire
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. bore — to drill
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. file — a line of people
  14. net — after costs
  15. net — for catching
  16. shower — to wash
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. file — a document
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. bulb — for light
  22. bulb — for light
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. nail — for a hammer

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