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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: rush · net · field · row · prune · calf · bulb · fan

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. net — in sport
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. bulb — for light
  5. field — a subject
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. net — for catching
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. rush — hurry
  11. row — a line
  12. net — after costs
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. field — for sport
  15. row — to paddle
  16. bulb — for light
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. prune — to trim
  19. prune — to trim
  20. field — farmland
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. bulb — of a plant

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