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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: club · bulb · cell · fan · bore · trunk · prune · lean

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. club — for dancing
  3. cell — a phone
  4. cell — in biology
  5. club — for golf
  6. prune — to trim
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. prune — to trim
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. bulb — for light
  15. bulb — for light
  16. lean — to bend
  17. bore — to tire
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. lean — thin
  22. club — a group
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. bore — to drill

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