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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 120 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 · bulb · cap · bore · lean · land · pitcher · calf

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. cap — of ice
  3. land — a country
  4. prune — to trim
  5. lean — thin
  6. bore — to drill
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. land — to come down
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. prune — to trim
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. bulb — for light
  16. bulb — for light
  17. lean — to bend
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. land — ground
  21. cap — a lid
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. cap — a hat

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