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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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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: rule · hide · lash · bulb · fork · key · prune · club

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. club — for golf
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. club — a group
  7. key — the most important part
  8. key — for a lock
  9. fork — in a road
  10. prune — to trim
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. key — in music
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. bulb — for light
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. prune — to trim
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. club — for dancing
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. bulb — for light
  23. rule — government
  24. rule — a law

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