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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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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: bulb · current · fork · prune · tear · patient · kick · branch

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. current — electric
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. current — happening now
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. bulb — for light
  8. bulb — for light
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. current — of water
  12. branch — a division
  13. prune — to trim
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. tear — from crying
  17. kick — in football
  18. tear — to rip
  19. prune — to trim
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. fork — in a road
  23. tear — from crying
  24. fork — a garden tool

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