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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.

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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: field · bulb · scale · file · lie · prune · land · lash

  1. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. land — to come down
  4. file — a tool
  5. scale — size or range
  6. bulb — for light
  7. file — a line of people
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. field — a subject
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. lie — to recline
  15. land — a country
  16. land — ground
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. file — a document
  19. field — farmland
  20. scale — in music
  21. bulb — for light
  22. prune — to trim
  23. field — for sport
  24. prune — to trim

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