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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: nail · tube · bay · spring · field · lash · prune · bulb

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. prune — to trim
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. prune — to trim
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. bulb — for light
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. tube — a container
  13. spring — a coil
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. tube — the underground
  18. bulb — for light
  19. spring — of water
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. field — for sport
  22. field — farmland
  23. field — a subject
  24. bulb — of a plant

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