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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: tube · prune · land · field · object · lash · plane · net

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. field — a subject
  5. tube — the underground
  6. object — a thing
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. net — in sport
  9. land — to come down
  10. prune — to trim
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. plane — a tool
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. field — for sport
  15. object — to protest
  16. land — ground
  17. net — after costs
  18. field — farmland
  19. prune — to trim
  20. object — an aim
  21. tube — a container
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. land — a country
  24. net — for catching

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