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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
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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: cap · prune · cold · rush · present · bulb · lash · craft

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. prune — to trim
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. present — the time now
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. craft — boats
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. present — there
  10. cold — an illness
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. cap — a lid
  14. cap — of ice
  15. cap — a hat
  16. cold — not warm
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. bulb — for light
  20. craft — a skill
  21. prune — to trim
  22. present — a gift
  23. bulb — for light
  24. rush — a thrill

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