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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: shower · fork · land · present · ruler · lash · field · bulb

  1. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. present — there
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. bulb — for light
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. field — for sport
  11. field — farmland
  12. present — a gift
  13. shower — to wash
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. present — the time now
  17. land — a country
  18. field — a subject
  19. land — ground
  20. bulb — for light
  21. land — to come down
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. shower — rain

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