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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: lash · march · prune · bulb · roll · land · shower · kick

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  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. lash — to lash out
  2. march — the month
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. roll — a cake
  6. land — to come down
  7. march — the month
  8. land — ground
  9. prune — to trim
  10. bulb — for light
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. shower — to wash
  13. land — a country
  14. roll — a list
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. kick — in football
  18. march — music
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. bulb — for light
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. prune — to trim
  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