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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 116 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: prune · lash · craft · row · scale · bulb · hand · fork

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. prune — to trim
  4. scale — size or range
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. hand — in cards
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. row — a line
  13. scale — in music
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. craft — boats
  16. craft — a skill
  17. prune — to trim
  18. bulb — for light
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. bulb — for light
  22. hand — help
  23. fork — in a road
  24. row — to paddle

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